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How can a person with fibromyalgia qualify for disability?

If you have fibromyalgia, you know how bad it can affect your life. It can make functioning day after day painful and near impossible.

According to Healthline, fibromyalgia patients have a difficult time applying and being accepted for disability. How can you, as a fibromyalgia patient, document your disability?

Understanding disability criteria

The SSA evaluates the disability applications. The requirements for fibromyalgia include:

  • Whether fibromyalgia prevents you from working
  • Symptoms of pain that lasts three months or more
  • Statements about your restrictions in daily life
  • Six or more symptoms of fibromyalgia

The recognized symptoms of fibromyalgia include memory or cognition issues, fatigue, IBS, anxiety, depression, and exhaustion.

Documenting your disability

If you have fibromyalgia, how can you document it? You need to be able to supply the SSA with medical records. In addition, if you have work records, you need to supply proof of missed days or statements that explain how fibromyalgia affected your work.

When putting together your application, your first order of business should be to receive a confirmed diagnosis. Make sure that you have your diagnosis also collect all of your appointment dates. In addition to medical records, including all phone numbers and contact information of your doctors, hospital or caseworker.

The medical records should include all of your medications, psychologist visits and your lab results. In addition, you need to have a residual functional capacity assessment. Your doctor will fill this assessment out and judge your impairments.

You can also ask your rheumatologist to offer a professional opinion about your ability to carry out daily activities.

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