How to Apply for Disability with Fibromyalgia?

Hello, I was denied 3 times before they accepted me

I’ve been getting ‘cold called’ by big national disability law firms, but have spoken with smaller boutique disability lawyers too. Which is better?

I’m on disability. It took a year and a half to get on. Definitely use a lawyer! The letters are so confusing and you’ll need help understanding them. Don’t get discouraged if you get denied, you usually have to appeal a couple times. Best advice I can give is try to not get frustrated and start documenting doctors appointments, symptoms, etc.

i have, and it was my primary reason but i also have bpd, bipolar, severe social/generalized anxiety, adhd and/or asd, ibs, orthostatic intolerance thats assumed to be pots, and more. i really cannot work at all, i've tried to do even little things like grubhub or delivering the local monthly paper but now can't drive. i tried going back to regular work at a supportive place too and just fell apart within 2 days of starting training. i even had to drop out of my remote college because it ended up with me hospitalized. i'm currently 15 months into applying for ssdi and have not had an income this whole time. that's the big thing no one tells you about disability... you have to figure out where your money is gonna come from for the eternity until you get approved. cases take 3 years and 3 applications (initial, reconsideration, appeal hearing - so you will be denied at least twice) on average. some can take as long as 10 years but that is pretty rare. others will be approved in the initial application, but that's also not super common unless you have certain conditions, generally ones that are terminal. i've heard of cases for depression that get approved in less than 6 months, though. my best advice? find a lawyer FIRST. doesn't matter if you can't afford it. you need to find a lawyer BEFORE you apply because many won't take your case unless you start it with them. i really wish i'd known that i wouldn't be able to find one after starting my case because i still do not have one at this point. i thought i couldnt afford it either, but there are lawyers who will take their pay as a percentage of your backpay when you win, so you won't pay anything out of pocket. there's a lot of other rules around applying too, like for ssdi i believe you have to have worked in the last 6 months, you have to have enough "work credits", and your payments are based on how much money you've made. for ssi, you have to have no more than $2000 in assets. yeah, you have to do an application that takes 3 years to be approved and they only give you 6 months of backpay, but you also can't have enough to live for even 1 month in savings... (there are certain accounts that are excepted from this asset rule but i don't know enough about them to provide good info. a disability lawyer could tell you more.) you also won't be likely to win a disability case (and therefore find a lawyer who will take your case) unless you have a pretty severe case of fibromyalgia or are applying with other limiting conditions. i know us fibro folks are great at having co-occuring disorders, but it all depends on what notes your doctor has taken and what the people who review your case think of it. and my final recommendation, if you do decide to apply, do some reading first. there's an amazing website called "how to get on" - read some of their articles on getting on disability and you'll feel like an expert in no time. you can check out the ssa blue book for details on what your condition(s) must be like to qualify for disability - it's not an end all be all, but it is handy in estimating whether or not you'll be able to get benefits for any specific condition. good luck, whatever you decide.

I've seen on the internet that you can!! I'm curious about it but also I'm the type of person that kind of feels emotionally empty if they don't work, and I don't really know how disability benefits work, so I'm scared I will get them and then get a job and they'll think I'm lying ༎ຶ‿༎ຶ

LadyBlkny, was the process long?

I did. I mean, I have migraines, anxiety and depression too, but I did. And I got it.

I’m here for the comments but I’m definitely going to try but I’m doing it through a lawyer. You don’t have to pay them until they win your case. But if anybody has any information or anything regarding it I need it as well. 💕