Long COVID cases now account for 6% of all workers' compensation claims, according to a new study released by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI), a nonprofit research and trade group.
But many who have filed such claims have been unable to collect, in part because of variations in how states administer the insurance program designed to protect people who get sick or injured on the job, experts say.
Among the workers who are struggling to receive benefits are essential workers — hospital staff, medics, teachers, and others who were unable to work remotely during the early days of the pandemic, often putting themselves at higher risk for infection.
For all the parades, posters, and thank-you notes for essential workers in the early days of the pandemic, some are finding it difficult to receive compensation.
