As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wane, a new issue is emerging that's challenging employers and insurers alike: Long COVID. Once referred to as "long haulers," people with long COVID experience lasting symptoms that can include fatigue, cognitive impairment, respiratory problems, physical limitations and more. It has been estimated that 23 million people continue to struggle with long COVID, or roughly one in 13 individuals. "Employers need practical solutions for assisting employees in staying at work," says Tracie DeFreitas, director of Training, Services and Outreach for the Job Accommodation Network. That organization recently teamed up with Sedgwick, the Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) and the Employer Assistance & Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) on a webinar titled "What You Should Know About the Impact of Long COVID in the Workplace." Among the insights shared during the event: Recent research into long COVID has illuminated a lack of understanding around how to manage employees with the disease as well as an inadequacy of employer services available to support impacted employees. Bryon Bass, senior vice president of Workforce Absence and the Disability Practice Leader at Sedgwick, says employees with long COVID are tapping medical and mental health services for lingering symptoms even before they've been officially diagnosed with the disease. The slideshow above illustrates, in broad strokes, seven steps that employers can take not only to comply with disability laws but also support employees who are working through long COVID. Among the other insights shared during the webinar: |

• Long COVID claims are about 26% higher than diabetic claims.
• Long COVID claims are roughly 12% higher than regular COVID claims.
• Several thousand disability claims presented in the last two years included some type of COVID infection.

"We see an exacerbation of our already overwhelmed medical health system, mental excuse me mental health system," says Terri Rhodes, CEO of the Disability Management Employer Coalition. "As the fear of recession looms, we have to think about what's going to happen to the individuals who have long COVID who need help getting back to work." See also: |

• Roughly half of U.S. employees shift back to the workplace
• 'Tripledemic' of COVID, flu, RSV: Threat to return-to-office policies
• Going back to work: What your HR department should know