How To Get Social Security Benefits For Fibromyalgia

The Social Security Administration in the United States does provide disability benefits to those who have a qualifying disability related to fibromyalgia. For those who have this condition, the condition must be significant enough, as determined medically, to warrant impairment from performing work related tasks, even when those tasks are modified. Individuals should consider filing for disability benefits like this with the aid of an attorney.

Applying for Disability Benefits

In order to obtain Social Security benefits for this condition, individuals must work through the Sequential Evaluation Process. This process specifically looks at the impairment and compares the condition of the individual to the requirements of obtaining disability coverage. The five step process will require individuals to meet specific requirements, including providing medical documentation of the condition. Within the process, individuals must show that the condition meets or exceeds severity requirements provided by the Social Security Administration.

For fibromyalgia cases, individuals must show the following is medically determinable for severe impairment. Specifically, the condition must have:

• Pain the last for at least three months and is considered widespread.
• Morning stiffness or significant stiffness after sitting for a short amount of time
• Significant fatigue
• Pain on palpatiation, must occur in at least 11 of the 18 tender points sites.

Meeting each of these qualifications is critical to obtaining approval for the disability to obtain benefits.  However, it is important to note that the Social Security Administration does not have a listing for fibromyalgia as part of the Listing of Impairments qualifications. In this situation, individuals must show in their application for disability that the condition is severe enough that it equals or is worse than an existing listing for a different condition.  

This process is a bit more complex than proving that you have other forms of disability. However, with the aid of an attorney, individuals can provide all of the requirements and documentation to obtain the disability benefit.

One important element of proving this is to show that the individual's condition impairs the individual from working at his previous place of employment. This impairment occurs even when there are significant modifications to the work to make it easier for the individual to accomplish.

Work with an Attorney

Proving the significance and severity of fibromyalgia can be challenging. An attorney who is familiar with disability claims and the condition itself can help individuals to obtain disability benefits easier. The process may require additional documentation and application steps, which the attorney will complete.