SSDI for Chronic Pain: What You Need to Know
SSDI for chronic pain can be a lifesaver. If you live with chronic pain, you know it can make even the simplest tasks feel impossible, and it might prevent you from working altogether. As a result, you may want to apply for disability, or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
While getting approval comes with certain challenges, with the right documentation and help, you can get SSDI for chronic pain and the underlying conditions that cause it.
So let’s explore how chronic pain can qualify for SSDI, the challenges you may face, and how an experienced SSDI lawyer can help you build a strong case.
What Is Chronic Pain, and How Does It Affect Someone’s Work?
Chronic pain is pain that lasts for more than 3-6 months. In many cases, it persists even after the injury or illness that caused it has healed.
Chronic pain can linger long after the body has recovered or be the result of ongoing medical conditions. It can vary in intensity, from mild discomfort to debilitating agony, and it can affect different parts of the body, including the back, neck, joints, and muscles.
What makes chronic pain particularly difficult is that it can fluctuate—some days may be bearable, while others are overwhelming.
At work, chronic pain often limits mobility, concentration, and the ability to perform even simple tasks. For example, if someone suffers from severe back pain, they may be unable to sit or stand for extended periods, making it impossible to maintain a regular work schedule.
Chronic pain also frequently disrupts sleep, leading to extreme fatigue and difficulty focusing on tasks during work hours.
And on top of the physical toll, many people with chronic pain also suffer from emotional distress, including anxiety and depression, which further harms their work.
This combination of physical and mental challenges can make it impossible to hold a job, which is why applying for SSDI can be so critical for someone living with chronic pain.
How Chronic Pain Can Qualify for SSDI
The Social Security Administration (SSA) doesn’t have a specific listing for “chronic pain” in its Blue Book of qualifying conditions. However, you can still qualify for SSDI if your chronic pain is caused by an underlying medical condition that meets the SSA’s criteria.
Common conditions that may cause chronic pain and qualify for SSDI include:
- Fibromyalgia
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Back injuries or degenerative disc disease
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
- Nerve damage or neuropathy
- and more.
To qualify for SSDI, the condition that causes your chronic pain has to be severe enough to prevent you from working, and it should be expected to last for at least 12 months or result in death.
Additionally, you’ll have to provide substantial medical evidence to prove your pain keeps you from making an income.
Challenges in Proving Chronic Pain to the SSA
One of the biggest challenges in getting SSDI for chronic pain is proving the severity of your condition.
Pain is often subjective and hard to measure. It doesn’t appear on most tests, and often doctors have to take the patient’s word for it. So to get SSDI, you’ll need detailed medical documentation, including:
- Medical records from your doctors showing your diagnosis, treatment history, and how your pain impacts your daily life.
- Statements from healthcare providers explaining how your condition limits your ability to work.
- Objective medical tests, including MRIs, X-rays, or blood tests, that support the underlying cause of your chronic pain.
It’s also important to show you’ve been consistent in following treatment recommendations, even if they haven’t been effective in relieving your pain.
How an SSDI Lawyer Can Help
Navigating the SSDI process for chronic pain can be overwhelming, especially when you’re already dealing with the physical and emotional toll of your condition. An experienced SSDI lawyer can make a significant difference in your case.
Our attorneys can help you collect the necessary medical documentation, including reports from specialists and detailed statements from your doctors, to support your claim.
In addition, we help explain to the SSA how your chronic pain prevents you from working. And we look for other important places in your application where we can clarify your condition and get testimony to support your claim.
If the SSA denies your claim, our experienced Memphis SSDI lawyers can represent you at the hearings. We’ll present your case to an administrative law judge and advocate for your right to benefits.
Studies show time and again that having an SSDI lawyer by your side will improve your chances of success. We work hard to take the stress out of the process so you can focus on your health.
Why Choose Us?
As a Memphis SSDI lawyer, I understand how debilitating chronic pain can be and how difficult it can be to prove to the SSA.
Our team works tirelessly to guide you through the process, build your case, and advocate for you to the SSA. We put our full resources behind fighting for you and getting you the benefits you need.
And we don’t get paid anything unless and until we win. Even then, we only receive a fraction of the past-due benefits: you keep every dollar moving forward.
Don’t wait to get the support you need. If you’re struggling with chronic pain and need help applying for SSDI or appealing a denial, contact us today for a free consultation.
Our award-winning team is ready to step in and help you get these benefits once and for all.