Many residents of San Diego may suffer from a medical condition called fibromyalgia. Generally speaking, fibromyalgia causes a person to experience pain throughout the body, especially in one’s joints and muscles, as well as other soft tissues.
The condition can affect those of working age, and the pain that results can be so severe that it prevents the patient from being able to work. In such cases, a Californian may need to resort to applying for SSD benefits in order to get the income he or she needs to continue to make ends meet.
The problem with obtaining disability benefits through the Social Security Administration is that fibromyalgia is not a condition that one can simply see on an X-Ray or by looking at the results of a blood test.
Like other conditions where the primary symptom is pain, even the most well-meaning Social Security examiner can be skeptical that an application’s condition is really serious enough to qualify for disability.
The Social Security Administration has certain criteria it will look for when determining whether to award benefits for fibromyalgia. Of course, the opinion of a physician will be important, if not critical. However, an applicant will also have to demonstrate that the physician did an appropriate examination as opposed to just taking the patient’s word for it.
Moreover, the Administration will also examine the applicant’s other medical history and background to be sure that their pain indeed is severe enough to prevent the person from working.
While victims of fibromyalgia often finds themselves in desperate need of Social Security benefits, obtaining them can be an uphill battle. Many San Diego residents with fibromyalgia can benefit from the assistance of an experienced attorney.