At the moment of writing this article, there is not an
entry in the Social Security Disability Listing for
Impairment for the condition Fibromyalgia. Nor is there for
its other names commonly used such as fibromyositis or
Myofacial Pain Syndrome. Getting denied of claims is quite
common ground for Fibromyalgia patients, but this doesn't
have to be the case.
There is hope for the fibromyalgia patient who needs to
claim disability. Many fellow sufferers have gone on to win
their cases, you likewise can. The trick is to pursue the
claim of disability through the appeal process.
After a person files at the Social Security Office, the
case is transferred to DDS, an agency responsible for
making the decisions on Disability. Once it is in this
agency, the claim is assigned to a specialist who then
makes the determination to approve or decline the
disability claim.
So why is it so hard to get approved for disability when
fibromyalgia is so disabling? Well, the reasons are many.
SSD will generally give very little weight to this
condition because the condition is not well understood.
Your chances get even less when there is not another
condition that is accompanying it such as arthritis or some
degenerative disease.
Part of the problem is also that the causes are not fully
understood and symptoms can range from mild to severe,
from one patient to the next. This is why it helps if
Fibromyalgia is diagnosed in conjunction with another
diagnosis. This is because Fibromyalgia will be seen more
legitimately and logical if it is an extension of another
"more real" diagnosis.
Another factor is who makes the diagnosis. A diagnosis
coming from a Rheumatologist will hold much more weight
than if made by a family practitioner or an internist. The
label of a specialist holds more umph when it comes to
decision time.
This, of course, is no fault of the fibromyalgia sufferer,
but there are some tips you can follow to increase your
chances of winning your case. The chances of winning are
improving as more information about fibromyalgia comes out.
So let's get to the tips for a winning case.
If you want to claim Fibromyalgia for your disability make
sure that it has been diagnosed and is in your medical
records. If a doctor merely mentions fibromyalgia as a
possibility without diagnosing it and charting it, you
could be out of luck. So, make sure it is in your medical
records.
Make sure that you have been diagnosed by a specialist. If
your family doctor makes the diagnosis, have a specialist
such as a rheumatologist give you the same diagnosis. Like
previously mentioned, diagnosis from a specialist will hold
more weight.
This sounds brutal but try not to be diagnosed with
Fibromyalgia by a mental health worker. Psychiatrists and
those in the mental health arena sometimes overdiagnose
patients with Fibromyalgia and so it does not look valid to
the SSD agents. If you are diagnosed by a mental health
provider, make sure that you are also seen by a specialist
such as a rheumatologist to validate the diagnosis.
Be informed and know what's in your records. Make copies of
everything. It is well known that social security
disability cases are decided on records. This holds true
for all levels of administration that your case will flow
through. By obtaining copies of your medical records before
you apply, you will have an idea of how your case looks to
the decision makers and help you know if you need to see
another doctor before applying.
These simple tips will help you in your fight to win your
disability case. Fibromyalgia disability cases can be won
and the more that do the easier it will get for our fight.
----------------------------------------------------
Hailey Harris is an expert in dealing with Fibromyalgia
after suffering for more than 8 years with health problems.
She is now symptom free and living a pain free life. She
developed Ridfibromyalgia.com found at
http://www.ridfibromyalgia.com to help others learn to do
the same. To receive tons of info, tips, and healing
strategies for free visit
http://www.ridfibromyalgia.com/how.html .
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