Disability and Fibromyalgia

[Cherokeereb]

Working in a restaurant I have met lots of people over the yars with the same symptoms as mine. One woman claims she is on disability for Fibromyalgia.....I am not ready for that yet, but was wondering if anyone on this forum is on disability for fibromyalgia, was it hard to get since most doctors think we are just crazy. LOL

[ree4tu1]

It helps if you also have mental health problems due to your disability and are seeing a psychiatrist.  Not to say that you are "crazy" as Fibro is very real, but sometimes mental health problems accompany it and this helps your disability case.  Also a good doctor on your side helps.

[ScarletDarling]

Don't hire a lawyer until you get to the hearing stage (2nd level of appeal.) They will take 25% of your back pay for filling out forms that SSA will help you fill out for free. At least the hearing is a legal proceeding; there an attorney may actually be of some value.

[MEFMJanet]

I'm also in Canada but am on disability due to CFS and FM.

It was a very long, tedious process but I've been able to do it without a lawyer.  I'm lucky enough to belong to a wonderful CFS/FM organization who helped me through it.

Good luck.

[Cherokeereb]

I had to get my brother on disablity while taking care of my mother and working too. It took 3 tries, but after he was turned down the 2nd time I got help from GBIS.http://www.gbisonline.com/1-800-782-0059
Had a local office here in town and it was uphill from there thank goodness.
They do not take as much money as the lawyers.
I am not ready yet, just wondering if anyone was on it.

[Trelau]

I'm in Canada and the previous posters are in the USA, I gave you the info based on where i came from. Sorry if it didn't help at all. :-S

I hope you can get approved if you need it.

[geminigirl1963]

I am on disability, but not totally because of my fibro - I also have other health issues and other chronic pain issues.  Getting approved for disability for ANYTHING is a long and tedious process and can sometimes take years.  If/when you decide to apply for disability, the more medical information/back-up you can provide about your condition/s and how they limit your life and ability to work, the better off you'll be.  Also, if your doctor will write a letter (some also have forms) stating what your disability is and that you are no longer able to work, that will definitely help.

I do agree with yppytrails about the lawyer, however, most of the disability law groups will not accept you until you have already received a denial letter from Social Security, so I would suggest doing your initial application on your own and then when/if you get that denial letter, then contact a law group that works ALL THE TIME with disability cases.  There are several out there and as hppytrails said, many of them do not require any upfront out of pocket payments, they will receive a percentage of whatever your back pay from Social Security ends up being.

Keep in mind, also, that even once you are approved for social security disability, you are not eligible for Medicare coverage until 2 years after your approval date.  So if you currently have insurance, it will be important to keep that insurance while your disability process is in the works.

Another thing I can suggest is, even after you have submittted your application for the disability, if you get any further medical back-up information/records/doctor's notes, etc, that would help your case get approved, do not hesitate to submit them.  As I said, the more information you can provide them the better your chances of being approved will be.

[hppytrails]

I'm on disability for fibromyalgia as well as other problems, and I can tell you that it does take a while to get disability. You need to be seeing a doctor regularly who can report to social security on your condition, a rhuematologist can diagnose you and start a treatment plan. Some people don't have to quit working with fibromyalgia if you have a good pain management plan. You also need a lawyer who specializes in disability. Most of them don't charge you untill you win, and then social security sends them a percentage of your back pay. It takes a while, and you have to keep appealing, don't give up. It took me a year, but now I have a regular income and health insurance. Good luck.

[Trelau]

I'm not on disability, can't help you with that but I just wanted to say that I've never encountered a dr that thought I was crazy, I'm sorry you did.

I have been on disability before but it was for PTSD but when I got better I requested to get out. The way it works here (Qc, canada) is that if I ever need to go back because I am really disable because of the issue I was approved years ago; I'll be "taken back" into the system.