2. Follow these tips to help with your application
Question & Answer
I think I have Long COVID. Can I get ODSP?If you think you have Long COVID, talk to your doctor about your physical and mental symptoms. Some symptoms are things the doctor can't see, like being tired and having trouble concentrating.
Keep a record of your symptoms and how they limit your ability to work and do other tasks. You could write this in a journal or make notes on your phone or computer.
Follow your doctor’s advice
Talk to your doctor about how to treat your symptoms. There's no cure for Long COVID. But your doctor may suggest ways to treat your symptoms. Keep notes of what your doctor suggested and what you did.
Even if the treatments don't work, showing what you've tried can help the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) assess your disability.
ODSP can look at how treatments are working to decide if your disability makes you eligible for .
Because Long COVID is new, it's hard for doctors to say how long you'll be sick for. To be eligible for ODSP, your illness must likely continue for over a year.
Ask for referrals
If your doctor is not sure how long you'll have Long COVID, you can ask them to refer you to another doctor or specialist. Depending on your symptoms, this might be a respiratory or occupational therapist.
You can ask your doctor to refer you to doctors, counsellors, or specialists for other reasons. For example, they can:
- give more specialized information for your ODSP application, or
- support what your original doctor recommended.
There are some COVID-19 Outpatient Rehabilitation programs that specialize in helping people recover from Long COVID.
There are also Family Health Teams across the province and some have Long COVID clinics for their patients. Usually, you must belong to a Family Health Team to use their services. But you can check with the Family Health Team in your area to see if they have services that can help you.
Talk to your employer
If possible, ask your employer if you can make changes at work to try to deal with your symptoms. This is called an . For example, an accommodation could be working fewer hours or working from home.
Even if you still can't work with an accommodation, showing ODSP that you tried to work with your symptoms will make your application stronger.
