Fibromyalgia Part 3
If your fibromyalgia does not meet or equal a listing in the Social Security Administration’s Listing of Impairments, there is still another way for you to get Social Security disability benefits. You will still be determined to be “disabled” if an examination of your residual functional capacity (RFC) reveals that you’re incapable of performing past relevant or other work. In this article, an Ocala disability lawyer will explain how you can win Social Security disability benefits using this step.
RFC is your capability of performing work-related activities despite your impairment. Physically, your RFC is evaluated in terms of whether you are still able to do heavy, medium, light, or sedentary work. Mentally, the Social Security Administration will look at whether you’re still able to do skilled, semi-skilled, or unskilled work. A lower RFC means that you’re capable of doing less work.
The Social Security Administration will consider fibromyalgia and related symptoms in determining your RFC. The adjudicators from the Social Security Administration will examine the credibility of your claims by asking your treating doctor or other medical professionals to supply information pertaining to the extent and duration of your fibromyalgia, as well as observations and opinions as to your ability to function, the side-effects of treatment, and expected duration of your limited ability to function.
Thus, the medical opinion of your treating doctor, especially about how your fibromyalgia affects your ability to function, is an important factor in determining your credibility, as well as the severity of your impairment.
Also affecting your credibility is information provided by other third-parties to the Social Security Administration. This includes:
· Statements from neighbors, friends, family members, or clergy;
· Information about your ability to work from past employers, rehabilitation counselors, or teachers;
· Statements about your medical condition from other health care professionals who have treated you other than doctors; and
· Your diary, notes, or journal chronicling your impairment and the effect it has had on you.
If you have fibromyalgia, and it’s preventing you from working, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Let experienced Ocala disability lawyer Claudeth Henry help you with your claim. Simply fill out the form on this page to schedule a free initial consultation.