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Fibromyalgia and Social Security Disability Benefits

Fibromyalgia is a serious condition that may impede your ability to work. In this article, New York disability lawyer Herbert Forsmith will explain how you might qualify for Social Security disability benefits if you suffer from fibromyalgia.

What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic, arthritis-related medical condition that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain, loss of sleep, fatigue, memory loss, and depression. Its cure is unknown. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) defines fibromyalgia as “widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body for a minimum duration of three months and at least 11 of the 18 specified tender points which cluster around the neck and shoulder, chest, hip, knee, and elbow regions.”

Concurrent symptoms include irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, depression, cognitive dysfunction, severe fatigue, headaches, endometriosis, and temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

How do I qualify for Social Security disability if I have fibromyalgia?

In order to qualify for Social Security disability benefits, the Social Security Administration must determine that you are “disabled.” This means that you have a severe medically determinable impairment. There are two ways to qualify as disabled: (1) your condition is severe enough to meet or equal a listing in the Social Security Administration’s Listing of Impairments; or (2) even if your condition doesn’t meet or equal a listing, an examination of your residual functional capacity (RFC) reveals that you’re still unable to perform past relevant or other work because of your fibromyalgia.

In order for your fibromyalgia to qualify as a severe medically determinable impairment, you must establish, through medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques, that you have:

  1. Widespread pain that has lasted for at least three months;
  2. Pain on palpitation in at least 11 of the 18 tender point sites that have been identified by the ACR;
  3. Morning stiffness or stiffness after sitting down for a short period of time; and
  4. Fatigue.

New York disability lawyer Herbert Forsmith can help.

If you’re suffering from fibromyalgia and it’s preventing you from working, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits. New York disability lawyer Herbert Forsmith has years of experience successfully handling disability matters. He will thoroughly investigate and evaluate the facts of your case to see if you have a good chance of succeeding in your disability claim. Simply fill out the form on this page for a free initial consultation.