If you have a disability or illness that prevents you from working, the criteria that the Social Security Administration (SSA) considers to decide on your claim is laid out in their Blue Book. Some things can be relatively easy to prove; others are much more difficult. If you have fibromyalgia, sadly, it can be more challenging to prove than most. However, do not lose hope. Others in Georgia have successfully claimed disability benefits for fibromyalgia before.
The SSA admits that fibromyalgia is a difficult condition to diagnose. When judging your claim, they are not only trying to decide if you have the condition you say you do, but they need to agree that it prevents you from working. These are the guidelines they use:
- They want to see evidence that a physician has examined you and diagnosed you with fibromyalgia. They will review the notes the physician has kept, which should detail how your condition has changed over time.
- They will expect to see proof that other possible causes of your symptoms have been discounted.
- There should be evidence that you have had widespread pain in all four quarters of your body for at least three months.
- You must demonstrate at least 11 points of tenderness from the 18 points outlined in their guidelines.
The important thing to remember is that these are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. Just because you do not meet them does not mean your claim will be denied. It merely means you will have to find another way of convincing the SSA that you need disability benefits. Proving that your fibromyalgia prevents you from working will require the help of a Georgia attorney with experience in filing SSD claims. It is not an easy process, but then neither is living with fibromyalgia.
