Long COVID as a Disability

Disability Civil Rights Protections

If you have Long COVID, and it substantially limits one or more major life activities, you may be considered an “individual with a disability” under civil rights laws.

Having a disability under civil rights law means that discrimination against you based on your disabilities is generally illegal at school, work, government services, and many other places in the community like hotels, restaurants, stores, and museums.

What rights do I have at school, work, and in the community?

If you experience brain fog, fatigue, or other Long COVID-related symptoms that make it difficult to work, attend school, or access a wide range of public or private services, then you may have the right to reasonable changes that may help you continue to do your job, go to classes, meet basic needs such as going to the grocery store, and live independently in the community.

Long COVID with Disability

Accommodations or modifications can include

  • Quiet workspaces and uninterrupted worktime to address brain fog.
  • A flexible schedule or telework to address fatigue.
  • New or different supplementary or auxiliary aids and services at school, specialized instruction, or additional time for testing for a student who has difficulty concentrating. 
  • Permitting service dogs trained to stabilize someone who experiences dizziness to accompany the person wherever the public is allowed to go.
  • Allowing people to sit down and hold their place in line while waiting if they experience fatigue.
  • Providing refueling assistance at a gas station to a customer whose joint or muscle pain prevents them from pumping their own gas.

Information on how to ask for workplace accommodations and on how employers can support employees with Long COVID is available in the links below. Consider sharing these with your employer if they have questions.

Where can I get more information about disability civil rights and services?

The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) can answer questions about civil rights for people with disabilities including Long COVID and connect people with needed services.

Call or text 888-677-1199

Monday-Friday

9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Eastern)

Email DIAL@n4a.org

For information on the employment rights of individuals with Long COVID, contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (eeoc.gov) . To file a charge against a private employer or a state or local government agency see How to File a Charge of Employment Discrimination.

If you have questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act, you can call the U.S. Department of Justice ADA Information Line.  If you believe that you or another person has been discriminated against by an entity covered by the ADA, you may file a complaint with the Disability Rights Section in the Department of Justice.  Information about how to file a complaint is available at ADA.gov.

For more information see Guidance on “Long COVID” as a Disability Under the ADA, Section 504, and Section 1557.

Disability Benefits

Having a disability under civil rights law does not automatically qualify you to receive benefits under disability benefits programs. Employers and organizations like the government, non-profits, and private insurers have their own definitions of disability.

Help is available for people completing an application for disability benefits from some organizations that provide these benefits.

Content last reviewed: March 19, 2024

Content last reviewed: March 19, 2024