Fibromyalgia is a disease in which one experiences muscle pain and tenderness throughout the body. It is often accompanied by issues with mood, memory, fatigue, altered sleep patterns, and sometimes restless leg syndrome, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs, sensitivity to light, noise, and temperature, and issues with the bladder or bowel. Fibromyalgia is often associated with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is generally diagnosed after ruling out other potential sources of the pain. What many don’t realize is that this often-debilitating disease may qualify you for receiving Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits.
While anxiety, depression, and PTSD are mental conditions that may qualify someone for SSD benefits, fibromyalgia is a physical condition that may qualify you for the same. Unfortunately, medical professionals still don’t know what causes fibromyalgia, though its cause is said to include both genetic and environmental components. Those with fibromyalgia may also have a family history of the disease. Physical infections, current or past trauma, or stress can also play a part.
A Diagnosis Isn’t Automatically Enough
It’s important to understand that a diagnosis alone does not automatically mean that you will receive SSD benefits. That decision is up to the Social Security Administration (SSA), which refers to its “Blue Book” in order to determine if requirements have been met.
What Are the Requirements for Receiving SSD Benefits for Fibromyalgia?
In determining whether an individual has a disability under fibromyalgia, the applicant must meet the following requirements:
- A history of widespread pain that has persisted for a minimum of three months although the pain need not always be present or to the same degree. Widespread pain includes pain in all quadrants of the body.
- A minimum of 11 positive tender points on a physical examination. These points must be located on both the left and the right sides of the body, both above and below the waist. (The physician must test the tender-point sites in accordance with the Blue Book.
Contact a Medical Professional for Related Symptoms
If you experience chronic, widespread pain throughout your body, suffer from severe fatigue or have any of the other abovementioned symptoms, it’s important that you seek medical attention as soon as possible to determine if you are suffering from fibromyalgia. Medical records from a treating physician as well as a history of your treatment for the disorder are required for determining whether you meet the SSA’s standards. Objective medical evidence is necessary.
The Las Vegas SSD Attorneys at Roeschke Law, LLC Can Help
If you or a loved one is struggling with a disability that prevents you from working, you may not know how to proceed. Fortunately, the attorneys at Roeschke Law, LLC can help. We understand the impact that a disability can have on your physical, emotional, and financial health. That’s why it’s our mission to help you. To learn more, or to schedule a consultation, contact us today