Social Security Disability & SSI Benefits: Coronavirus/Covid-19

Can I Get Social Security Disability And SSI Benefits If I Have Coronavirus/Covid-19?

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What Is Important Medically

What Is Coronavirus/Covid-19? The medical community poorly understands Coronavirus/Covid-19. It is a virus; it is a microscopic organism that infects and lives in living cells. Coronavirus/Covid-19 spreads by human bodily fluids (liquid molecules). It is not an airborne virus. It can be spread when one person expells liquid molecules from the mouth or nose (speaking, coughing, or sneezing) and then a second person takes the liquid molecules into the body (usually by mouth, nose, or lungs). The United States has more Coronavirus/Covid-19 cases than any other country in the world. Coronavirus/Covid-19 currently has about a three percent death rate. Filings for Social Security disability benefits based on Coronavirus/Covid-19 or related medical conditions are very rare and just beginning.

Symptoms. If you file a claim for Social Security disability benefits based on the Coronavirus/Covid-19, Social Security will obtain and review your medical records. Coronavirus/Covid-19 can likely infect any cell in the body affecting a wide variety of body systems and organs causing a mild to extreme degree of sympotmatology. Many suffers have only mild short-term symptoms while others have died. The most commonly reported symptoms include:

1. Fatigue,
2. Shortness of breath,
3. Feeling sick,
4. Body aches, and
5. Fever or chills.

The most signficant symptom or consequence of the Coronavirus/Covid-19 is complications in the lungs. Short-term, breathing issues are a common tell-tell sign. Long term, a variety of lung impairments can develop.

For most who are infected by the Coronavirus/Covid-19, symptoms usually last for a couple weeks. Some suffer symptoms beyond this acute phase; they are referred to as "long-haulers." For long-haulers, the Coronavirus/Covid-19 is not active in the body, but symptoms continue. For some long-haulers, symptoms wax and wane. For other long-haulers, the symptoms are persistent. Long-hauler symptoms are not well understood. It is important in your Coronavirus/Covid-19 Social Security disability case, especially with long-haulers syndrome, that your symptoms are well documented by your doctors.

Diagnosis. In any Social Security disability and SSI case, you will need medical evidence of your diagnosis. There are currently two tests used to detect Coronavirus/Covid-19: 1) an antigen test, and 2) a molecular test. With an antigen test, liquid molecules are taken from the body (most commonly a swab of the nose or throat). The test detects if particular Coronavirus/Covid-19 proteins exist. If so, a positive diagnosis is made. These tests can be done in minutes and are less costly than molecular tests. With a molecular test, liquid molecules are taken from the body (again, a swab of the nose or throat). The test looks for specific DNA sequences of Coronavirus/Covid-19. If so, a positive diagnosis is made. These tests can be done same day but often take several days to complete; they are highly accurate.

Antibody and culture tests are also used to determine the existence of a virus, but neither is currently being widely used to diagnose Coronavirus/Covid-19.

Treatment. Social Security wil also read about your medical treatment. There is currently no cure for Coronavirus/Covid-19 itself. Medical providers therefore resort to two types of treatment. First, treatment will address the body system/organ/part affected by the virus; this treatment will vary depending on how a person is affected. Second, treatment will be focused on controlling your symptoms.

Vaccines are being distributed in 2021, the success of which is uncertain. Medical providers will continue to work on more successful vaccines. When you become infected with a virus, your body makes antibodies to combat it. A vaccine causes your body to make antibodies in the absence of a virus. You would take the vaccine before you became infected. Then, if you became infected with a virus and survive it, your body would already have antibodies to combat it. It is unclear if those who have been affected with the virus develop long-term antibodies.

Other Medical Conditions. If you have Coronavirus/Covid-19, you will have a higher risk of suffering other medical conditions. If you are disabled because of Coronavirus/Covid-19, certain body systems will be affected. It is the affect on these body systems that will produce symptoms and then limitations and then a disability. Therefore, when Social Security processes your disability case, it will evaluate both your Coronavirus/Covid-19 condition and any other additional medical condition Coronavirus/Covid-19 caused. The effects of Coronavirus/Covid-19 combined with your additional medical conditions will likely be greater than the effects of each medical condition considered separately.

Disability & SSI Timeframes

Because Coronavirus/Covid-19 is both a new medical condition, and capable of causing death so quickly, three time frames related to a disability case become especially important.

First, you must be alive when you file an application. If you are dead, you must have a qualified family member file an application with three months after you die.

Second, you must meet the Duration Requirement in one of three ways -

1. Your impairment must result in death,
2. Your impairment must be expected to last 12 months, or
3. Your impairment must last 12 months or more.

It is uncommon for Social Security to find that your impairment is expected to last 12 months. Therefore, if you are alive, most of the time you will need to be disabled for 12 months or more to obtain Social Security disability and SSI benefits with Coronavirus/Covid-19.

Third, in a Social Security Disability (SSDI) case, you cannot get benefits for the first five full months of your disability. Hence, you must be disabled for more than five full months to receive benefits. In a SSI case, you do not have a five full month waiting period, so you can get benefits starting the day you file your claim.

Proving Disability

As discussed in further detail in the Disability Criteria, you can prove disability by satisfying Social Security's Adult 5-Step Disability Evaluation or the Child 3-Step disability evaluation. Medically for adults, you must either meet or equal a listing or have a residual functional capacity such that you cannot do you past work or other work. Medically for children, the child must meet or equal a listing or prove significant limitations in six domains of functioning.

There is no Social Security Covid-19/Coronavirus Listing. That said, the functional limitations caused by Covid-19/Coronavirus, either alone or in combination with additional medical conditions, may satisfy a listing. If you suffer an additional medical condition, review that particular listing.

Proving your RFC or whether satisfy the six domains of functioning is discussed on our next page about functional limitations.

TERI: Terminal Disease Case

A TERI case is any case that is untreatable and expected to result in death. A TERI case is one that is expedited so that you may obtain a quicker decision - Expedited Cases. A Covid-19/Coronavirus case appears to meet this definition in rare situations as the death rate is about three percent. What types of Covid-19/Coronavirus cases are expected to result in death is most often unknown as the medical community is still learning more about the virus. At this time, it is unclear whether your Covid-19/Coronavirus Social Security case will be treated as a TERI case.