Donald Trump and his administration’s callousness seem to have infiltrated all areas of government. In America today you have two governmental agencies juxtapose in their response to Covid-19 safety protocols facing those on disability. Since the very start of the coronavirus in the United States, what group have epidemiologist and medical professionals said are the most susceptible to catching Covid-19? Over and over again, we are told it is the elderly and those with preexisting conditions.
On the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website as of today, the elderly and those with preexisting conditions are still listed as being the most vulnerable. The CDC are urging any one in these two categories to stay home and socially distance from others as much as possible. Although not everyone who has a disability is at a higher risk of getting infected, many are susceptible due to their underlying health conditions. Some of the more prevalent conditions include those with weakened immune systems, heart disease, diabetes, lung issues, stroke, and cancer, just to name a few.
But there are many more conditions that do not lend itself well to the coronavirus. The CDC states those with mental disabilities may be more susceptible to catching Covid-19, and when you stop and think it makes sense. From the CDC website; “Some people with developmental or behavioral disorders may have difficulties accessing information, understanding or practicing preventative measures, and communicating symptoms of illness.” If you know someone with a mental illness that has some level of autonomy, this may even be a more significant factor.
I was shocked to learn the Social Security Administration under Donald Trump is not suspending disability reviews in the midst of this deadly pandemic. I just assumed they had until I stumbled on this information by accident. They are forcing the disabled to go out in public, and continue with doctor’s office visits that can wait as disability reviews continue. Why would the Trump Administration issue public health warnings only to force the most vulnerable to go out in the midst of the coronavirus?
Two senators, Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, and Bob Casey, Democrat from Pennsylvania submitted a proposal to the Social Security Administration (SSA) requesting the suspension of disability reviews due to the coronavirus pandemic. The SSA refers to these reviews as CDR’s -Continuing Disability Reviews. In May, the SSA announced they were suspending all reviews at this time, however; that did not last very long. By June 29, they had resumed back to administering reviews. The coronavirus cases in the United States are now at an all time high – and so is the death rate.
The appeal by Brown and Casey expressed the following to the SSA, “We strongly urge SSA to reconsider this decision. COVID-19 case numbers are higher than ever. Our nation continues to be under a public health emergency, according to the Department of Health and Human Services – a designation that will likely be extended in the coming weeks. We continue to have great concern that prompting – in some cases compelling – beneficiaries to leave home to comply with a CDR puts the very people most in need of protection from COVID-19 at needless risk.”
Here is our own government forcing those with preexisting conditions to go out, catch a subway, bus, or drive to maintain a disability review that surely during the height of this pandemic should be suspended for now. If it is not bad enough, they are forcing the disabled to keep medical appointments in a healthcare environment, with a greater propensity to be exposed to other people who may have the virus. The SSA reviews doctor’s appointments of disabled individuals as a factor of determining continuation of benefits. To continue with disability reviews is to repeatedly expose those with underlying health conditions unnecessarily to the coronavirus.
Not only is this a moral failure, it places all Americans in peril. Disabled individuals like anyone else can come in contact with others if they catch the coronavirus. Some have pointed out telehealth appointments which are a great, but many healthcare facilities do not offer this. There are still surprisingly a lot of people who do not have smart phones.
I find it reprehensible that individuals with preexisting conditions on disability are unduly being exposed. It has been substantiated that those with underlying health conditions are far more likely to succumb to Covid-19 than healthy individuals. Yet our very own government is forcing the disabled to get out in public with policies that could easily be placed on hold for now. Every time a disabled individual with preexisting conditions gets out in public, he or she is taking a risk that may not be necessary, that could ultimately result in death. It is time the government heed their own guidelines.
