Can i get disability for fibromyalgia

Your diet may affect your fibromyalgia symptoms. Get fibromyalgia diet tips, and learn how a well-rounded diet, and even a plant-based approach, could…. Certain herbs and supplements, including magnesium and melatonin, may help relieve fibromyalgia symptoms.

We'll detail these, plus five other natural…. Fibromyalgia is a complex condition with a range of potential causes, treatments, and risk factors.

Here's a top-to-bottom look at this chronic…. While fibromyalgia's exact cause is unknown, some believe it's an autoimmune disease — although this remains a difficult claim to prove. Here's what…. Since there are no lab or imaging tests available for fibromyalgia, it can be a difficult condition to diagnose.

Learn about steps your doctor will…. Fatigue is a common symptom of fibromyalgia. Learn what causes it, how to manage fibro fatigue, and when to seek help from your doctor. Despite physical origins, fibromyalgia can benefit from a type of treatment called mindfulness. Mindfulness uses the brain to calm the body and…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Mental Health.

Applying for Disability Benefits Due to Fibromyalgia. Medically reviewed by Brenda B. Spriggs, M. Criteria for Social Security Documentation Evaluation process Filing the application Waiting period Advantages of disability support Can you qualify for disability with fibromyalgia?

It can also affect your ability to lift, carry, push, pull, and grasp. Those who experience joint pain as a result of fibromyalgia may also have difficulty bending, lifting, walking, and performing other common actions required in physical work.

The numbness and tingling which often accompanies fibromyalgia can make fine motor movements difficult, making even light physical work problematic. Several of the other symptoms can also make physical work impractical for fibromyalgia sufferers. If your fibromyalgia is accompanied by a psychiatric disorder, or if it causes short term memory loss or difficulty concentrating, it can affect your mental capacity for work.

These symptoms can make it difficult to succeed in any work environment, whether physical or sedentary. Since fibromyalgia can be a difficult medical condition to diagnose, health care providers usually rule out other diseases by conducting a thorough physical examination that includes several different types of blood tests.

According to SSA guidelines, you have to show you suffer from a serious physical or mental impairment that makes it impossible to work. The SSA defines a disability as "the inability to do any substantial gainful activity due to your medical or mental problem. The Blue Book does not specifically list fibromyalgia as a medical condition that qualifies you for disability benefits. However, the Blue Book contains a section devoted to musculoskeletal disorders that might qualify you for disability benefits if you meet the severity of symptoms standards listed by the SSA.

Even if your disability claim is denied by the SSA for fibromyalgia, you can undergo a Residual Functional Capacity RFC assessment that determines your ability to work with the symptoms of the medical disorder.

A physician from the SSA puts you through several tests to conclude whether the pain and fatigue associated with the disease are severe enough to prevent you from working your current job. You can contact the nearest SSA office to apply for disability benefits for fibromyalgia.

Most of the information the federal agency collects can be done over the phone, as well as by mail and online. The key is to prove the symptoms of fibromyalgia prevent you from working your current job.

Your physician should submit the results of diagnostic tests and your employer has to show you have missed a significant amount of time from work because the severe symptoms of the disease make it impossible to complete normal job tasks. Working with a Social Security attorney can help strengthen the claim you file for Social Security disability benefits with fibromyalgia.

To assess the credibility of your complaints, the claims examiner or judge, if on appeal may ask your doctor to provide information about the extent and duration of your impairments, his or her opinion of how well you are able to function, what treatments were tried and whether they were helpful and had side effects, and how long the doctor expects your ability to function to be limited.

The longer your medical record includes evidence of fibromyalgia symptoms and treatment, the better. If the SSA determines that you do have a medically determinable impairment, fibromyalgia, Social Security's evaluation is not over; in fact, it has just begun.

The SSA will develop a "residual functional capacity" RFC assessment for you to determine if there is any work you can do, including your past work. An RFC assessment is an evaluation of your ability to perform various exertional levels of work; for example, if you can't lift more than 10 pounds, you will be given a sedentary RFC. The SSA bases your RFC on your medical records, opinions from doctors and specialists, and statements from you and possibly your family members.

In preparing your RFC, the SSA will rely on your doctor's opinion as to your abilities, such as how long you can stand, sit, and walk, how much you can lift, and how well you can focus and remember instructions.

Functional limitations in these areas are the key to showing the SSA why you can't work. If your RFC rules out all jobs, even sedentary work , you will be found disabled. For more information, see our articles on how Social Security uses your RFC and tips on winning disability with fibromyalgia. More so than in other cases, hiring a lawyer to appeal a denial of benefits for fibromyalgia can really help, since disability lawyers are familiar with the Social Security ruling on fibromyalgia SSR p and the latest court decisions on when disability should be granted for fibromyalgia.

This knowledge can help disability attorneys find errors made by the claims examiner or judge in the disability determination and use them to your advantage. In addition, if only a primary care physician or internist has given you a fibromyalgia diagnosis, try to arrange a visit with a specialist; a diagnosis made by a rheumatologist will be more credible to a disability examiner or judge and will strengthen your Social Security disability claim or appeal. If cognitive or mental issues add to your inability to work, a neurologist's opinion may be helpful as well.

Your primary care doctor's opinion can also be helpful, not so much on the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, but to supplement the rheumatologist's opinion on the details of your claim. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site.

The attorney listings on this site are paid attorney advertising.