>> THANKS.
>> COVID COULD BE THE LARGEST
DISABLING EVENT SINCE POLIO HOW
SOME DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATES
ARE SEEING THE PANDEMIC'S
POTENTIAL LONG-TERM IMPACT ON
SOCIETY.
PEOPLE WHO FALL INTO THE
CATEGORY ARE SUFFERING FROM LONG
COVID THAT MEANS HAVING SYMPTOMS
RELATED TO COVID-19 BEYOND 30
DAYS FROM THE INITIAL ONSET OF
THE ILLNESS OR LAST POSITIVE
TEST.
32 MILLION COVID CASES HAVE BEEN
REPORTED IN THE U.S.
SOME DOCTORS LONG COVID COULD
MAKEUP 20-30% OF THOSE CASES.
AND JOINING US ARE MARTINA
SHERMAN A SHAREHOLDER AT
DEBOFSKY SHERMAN CASCIARI
REYNOLDS, P.C., A LAW FIRM THAT
WORKS ON DISABILITY BENEFITS.
AND Dr. CHARLES DAVIDSON
VICE-CHAIRMAN OF CLINICAL
AFFAIRS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF
MEDICINE AT NORTHWESTERN AND
OVERSEES THE COVID-19 CENTER
THAT WORKS WITH PEOPLE WITH LONG
COVID.
WELCOME BOTH OF YOU TO "CHICAGO
TONIGHT."
>> Dr. DAVIDSON, WHAT ARE THE
LONG COVID SYMPTOMS THAT YOU'RE
SEEING THE MOST PERSISTENT
SYMPTOMS?
>> SO WE'RE SEEING A MULTITUDE
OF SYMPTOMS WHY WE STOOD UP THE
COVID CENTER AT NORTHWESTERN
THIS YEAR IT WAS THE SECOND
CENTER IN THE COUNTRY.
BUT THE PREDOMINANT SYMPTOMS ARE
SHORTNESS OF BREATH PARTICULARLY
WITH EXERTION, FATIGUE,
HEADACHES, CHEST PAIN, BRAIN FOG
IS VERY COMMON.
LACK OF GOOD CONCENTRATION
EFFORT.
ALL OF THOSE HAVE BEEN OUR MOST
COMMON SYMPTOMS THAT OCCURRED IN
THE PATIENTS AFTER 30 DAYS.
>> AND TODAY "CHICAGO TONIGHT"
DID SPEAK WITH SOMEONE THAT IS
EXPERIENCING LONG COVID SYMPTOMS
AND IS DEBATING WHETHER OR NOT
TO GO ON DISABILITY.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> JUST TALKING TO OTHER PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING THE
INFORMATION IS NOT OUT THERE.
AND THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE
THAT ARE STRUGGLING TO GET ON
DISABILITY.
THERE IS A Facebook GROUP I'M
IN AND THERE'S NUMEROUS PEOPLE
COURTED THEY ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL
IN REPORTED THEY ARE NOT
SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING ON
DISABILITY AND GETTING THE
BENEFITS THEY ARE RUNNING INTO
PROBLEMS WITH IT.
BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING
IS NOT REALLY ACKNOWLEDGED YET.
>> MARTINA SHERMAN ARE YOU
SEEING A NUMBER OF LONG COVID
PATIENTS THAT BECAUSE OF THEIR
SYMPTOMS CANNOT WORK OR CONTINUE
THEIR CAREERS AT THIS POINT?
>> YES.
DEFINITELY.
AND WHAT IS INTERESTING IS WE'VE
RECEIVED A LOT OF CALLS
INQUIRIES FROM PEOPLE
CONTEMPLATING APPLYING FOR
DISABILITY.
BUT OUR FIRM HAS YET TO SEE A
CASE OF BENEFITS THAT HAVE BEEN
DENIED WHERE A CLAIMANT IS
FORCED TO APPEAL.
OUR FIRM DOES NOT DO SOCIAL
SECURITY WE CONCENTRATE IN
PRIVATE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS.
BUT WE SUSPECT THAT WE'RE RIGHT
ON THE CUSP OF A DELUGE OF
CLAIMS AND SADLY DENIALS.
BUT IT SADDENS ME TO HEAR WHAT
THE AUDIO THAT YOU PLAYED OF THE
GENTLEMAN HAVING DIFFICULTY
GETTING INFORMATION.
AND THAT'S PART OF WHY WE'RE
HERE TONIGHT IS TO TRY AND
ANSWER SOME OF THE QUESTIONS AND
GET INFORMATION IN THE HANDS OF
THE PEOPLE THAT NEED IT.
>> RIGHT.
AND Dr. DAVIDSON BACK TO YOU
AND SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS, IS
THERE ANYTHING KNOWN ABOUT WHO
THEY ARE IMPACTING?
IF YOU ARE PREEXISTING
CONDITIONS ARE MORE LIKELY TO
GET THE SYMPTOMS?
AND HOW LONG THEY MAY LAST?
>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
BECAUSE THIS LOOKS VERY
DIFFERENT THAN THE ACUTE
SYNDROME OF COVID WHERE WE
THOUGHT IT WAS MORE ELDERLY AND
PEOPLE WITH CO-MORBID DISEASES
DEVELOPING THE ACUTE SYMPTOMS OF
HOSPITALIZATION AND VENTILATORS.
THIS HAS BEEN A YOUNG
POPULATION.
THE FIRST 900 PATIENTS WE'VE
SEEN THE AVERAGE AGE IS 49.
AND TWO-THIRDS ARE WOMEN.
AND ONLY THE MINORITY OF THESE
PATIENTS HAVE EVER BEEN
HOSPITALIZED IN FACT ONLY 5%
WERE IN AN ICU AND ONLY 14% WERE
HOSPITALIZED.
THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAD MILD
SYMPTOMS THAT WENT AWAY AND THEN
DEVELOPED SECONDARY SYMPTOMS OR
HAD MILD SYMPTOMS THAT
PROGRESSED.
GENERALLY OUTPATIENTS WHICH IS
VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE SAW
IN THE ACUTE PHASE OF THIS.
>> NOT A BIG OVERLAP BETWEEN
THOSE THAT STRUGGLED WITH COVID
AND THOSE THAT ARE EXPERIENCING
THESE LONG SYMPTOMS.
MARTINA SHERMAN YOU MENTIONED
PRIVATE EMPLOYERS ARE PLAYING
BALL HERE IN GRANTING DISABILITY
AND YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
THEY DID SEND A STATEMENT SAYING
A PERSON WITH LIMITATIONS
RESULTING FROM COVID WHICH HAVE
MET OR EXPECTED TO MEET OUR
DURATION REQUIREMENT IN THE
LIMITATIONS EQUAL A MEDICAL
LISTING OR THE A COMBINATION OF
THE COMPLICATIONS PREVENT THEM
FROM WORKING.
THE POLICY RULES ARE ABLE TO
EVALUATE COVID-19 CASES.
WHAT OBSTACLES DO YOU EXPECT FOR
PEOPLE THAT APPLY FOR DISABILITY
BENEFITS THROUGH SOCIAL
SECURITY?
>> WELL, IT'S INTERESTING THE
STATEMENT THAT YOU JUST
PROVIDED.
PRACTITIONERS HAVE BEEN WAITING
FOR THE SOCIAL SECURITY
ADMINISTRATION TO ISSUE GUIDANCE
ADVISING HOW THEY ARE GOING TO
BE APPLYING THESE DURATIONAL
REQUIREMENTS FOR COVID-19 AND
LONG COVID SURVIVORS.
THE SOCIAL SECURITY
ADMINISTRATION REQUIRES A
DISABLES IMPAIRMENT LASTS 12
MONTHS OR RESULT IN DEATH.
>> WE DON'T KNOW THERE IS NO
DATA?
>> THE PANDEMIC HAS ONLY BEEN IN
EXISTENCE FOR 13 OR 14 MONTHS.
THERE IS A LOT OF UNKNOWNS.
THE OTHER THING TO KEEP IN MIND
IS THAT SOCIAL SECURITY
DISABILITY BENEFIT PROCEEDINGS
ARE A LENGTHY ADMINISTRATIVE
PROCESS.
AND THESE NUMBERS ARE ABOUT 10
YEARS OLD BUT THE LAST TIME THAT
I AM AWARE THERE WERE STATISTICS
CONDUCTED SOMETHING LIKE 70% OF
INITIAL APPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL
DISABILITY BENEFITS WERE DENIED.
AND THE PEOPLE APPROVED WERE
PEOPLE WHO HAD LEGAL BLINDNESS
OR KIDNEY FAILURE OR CANCER,
TERMINAL ILLNESS.
AND THEN AT THE SECOND STAGE IN
THE PROCESS THE RECONSIDERATION
STAGE, 90% OF CLAIMS ARE DENIED.
AND AT THE HEARING STAGE WHICH
CAN TAKE TWO YEARS IT'S LIKE
50%.
>> A CUMBERSOME PROCESS.
Dr. DAVIDSON, HAVE YOU FOUND
TREATMENTS THAT HAVE MITIGATED
SOME OF THE SYMPTOMS OR COULD
IRRADICATE THEM?
>> I THINK THAT IS THE GOOD
NEWS.
MANY OF THE PATIENTS ALTHOUGH
CAN RETURN TO WORK IN A LIMITED
FASHION A FEW HOURS A DAY ARE
GRADUALLY GETTING BETTER.
THEY MAY BE SLOWER THAN THEY
ANTICIPATE BUT THEY ARE GETTING
BETTER.
WE HAVE RELIED ON THERAPIES THAT
WE'VE USED FOR OTHER TRADITIONAL
LUNG DISEASES.
INHALERS, CARDIAC MEDICATIONS
THAT PREVENT LIGHT-HEADEDNESS.
WE ARE RELYING ON MEDICATIONS WE
HAVE USED THAT HAVE THE SAME
TYPE OF SYMPTOMS.
THERE ARE NOT MEDICATIONS
DIRECTED TOWARD LONG-HAULERS IN
PARTICULAR MOST OF THE FOCUS WAS
ON THE ACUTE ILLNESS.
BUT WE ARE SEEING PEOPLE GETTING
BETTER AND THAT IS THE PART I
WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY.
THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY A LIFE
SENTENCE.
>> OK.
INTERESTING DISCUSSION.