Covid ‘Long Hauler’ Sues After Denial of Long-Term Disability

A software sales executive who contracted Covid-19 in 2020 sued Reliance Standard Life Insurance Co. for disability benefits, telling a federal judge in California that she’s unable to work because of post-Covid symptoms including asthma, chronic cough, and “brain fog.”

The complaint, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, is one of the first federal lawsuits seeking disability benefits based solely on post-Covid ailments under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Attorneys expect to see more of these cases in the future, but deadline extensions from the Labor Department, difficulty in obtaining medical records, ...