social security disability fibromyalgia

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY (SSD), SSI
AND

REFLEX SYMPATHETIC DYSTROPHY, OR RSD

This information may help claimants with representation, as well as claimants who are not represented by an attorney or non attorney representative. Understanding how the Social Security Disability system works can make the difference between winning or not winning the continuing disability benefits and backpay to which a person is entitled. To win a claim for ongoing and past due benefits, claimants should learn about the disability process to improve their chances of winning ssi or ssd - ssdi benefits.


RSD, or reflex sympathetic dystrophy, is a painful and chronic musculoskeletal condition involving one or several extremities. Unfortunately, for those suffering with this illness, the etiology of RSD is unclear. Likewise, the treatment modalities for RSD tend to be palliative in nature and not curative.

Currently, RSD (also referred to, and known as a subset of, CRPS, or complex regional pain syndrome) is not listed in the social security administration's impairment listing manual.

Impairments that are listed in this manual, of course, may qualify an applicant for social security disability benefits provided that the severity of the applicant's condition meets the criteria specified in the manual (as verified by an applicant's medical records).

However, despite the fact that the social security administration has not incorporated this illness as a "listed impairment", sufferers of RSD may apply for, and potentially win, disability benefits.

This is simply due to the fact that the social security administration does not evaluate disability claims on the basis of diagnosed impairments, but, instead, focuses on the functional limitations that result from a claimant's medical condition.



In other words, it is not the illness itself that SSA is chiefly concerned with, but, rather, the effects of the illness. And, in fact, this reasoning applies even to impairments that are in the listing manual as the wording for each listed impairment implies severe functional limitations.

Therefore, for this very reason (the fact that reflex sympathetic dystrophy is not a recognized impairment in the listing manual), it becomes especially important for RSD sufferers who are applying for disability benefits to do the following:
  • Make sure their treatment sources (therapists, treating physicians, etc) understand how important it is that their treatment notes include "descriptive" indications of the functional limitations they are experiencing as a result of RSD.
Why is this so important? Simply because too many physicians keep treatment notes that are "nondescriptive". In fact, it is not at all uncommon for a disability claimant, or that claimant's representative, to request a doctor's medical records and find that the doctor has recorded very little information from each office visit---and hardly any information that was useful from the standpoint of an SSD or SSI disability case.


Continue to part 2 - Social Security Disability, medical records, and functional limitations



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DISABILITY CLAIM INFORMATION SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY OVERVIEW PT 2 SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY QUESTIONS
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SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY ARTICLES DISABILITY & MEDICAL CONDITIONS SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY DEFINITIONS
DISABILITY EXAMINER ANSWERS SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY OVERVIEW PT 1 SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY MYTHS


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