Joe Biden Promises Disability Benefits for People with ‘Long COVID’

President Joe Biden said Monday that Americans who experienced symptoms of “long COVID” would get access to disability benefits.

“Many Americans who seemingly recover from the virus still face lingering challenges like breathing problems, brain fog, chronic pain, and fatigue,” Biden said. “These conditions can sometimes — can sometimes rise to the level of a disability.”

The president commented on his efforts during a celebration of the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act at the White House on Monday.

Medical experts continue researching and debating the concept of “long COVID,” as some argue it could be a result of psychological issues, rather than a physical disability.

But Biden promised to take the concept seriously and provide assistance for people who claimed to have “long COVID.”

“We’re bringing agencies together to make sure Americans with long COVID, who have a disability, have access to the rights and resources that are due under the disability law,” he said, promising that people suffering from long COVID could again “live their lives with dignity.”

The Departments of Justice and the Heath and Human Services said in guidance released Monday that long COVID can be considered a disability for “an individual with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual.”