Can chronic fatigue have disability benefits?

Have you been feeling exhausted and restless for the past couple of months? This may be a sign of chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS. Men and women can be equally affected by this condition but surveys show that women are more likely to get diagnosed. So some may ask, can chronic fatigue have disability benefits? And if a patient who is diagnosed to have CFS needs to undergo a surgery, can chronic fatigue symptom be a barrier for getting anesthesia?

Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

• Restlessness and tiredness
• Sleep deprivation
• Lack of concentration or memory lapses
• Sore throat
• Muscle pain
• Joint pain
• Depression

Patients diagnosed with M.E. (myalgic encephalomyelitis), another name for CFS, are said to be showing similar symptoms with multiple sclerosis, so at first glance, they can be misdiagnosed. But they are since differentiated since there is no cause that surrounds CFS, and no definitive tests are available to directly diagnose it while multiple sclerosis shows signs of an autoimmune disorder.

Diagnosis of CFS

There are no definitive tests that can diagnose CFS or ME, so the doctors let the patient undergo several tests to rule out other conditions. Once the tests were able to rule out or eliminate all medical conditions that may be the culprit for the symptoms, that is the only time that they can be diagnosed as a patient having CFS. However, new technology recently allows doctors to test a patient’s immune cells as they react to stress. A nanoelectronic assay assesses the immune cells and plasma in the body to determine how the patient acts in response to stressful situations.

Benefits of chronic fatigues a disability

CFS is not listed in the Social Security Disability Blue Book, but a patient correctly diagnosed with CFS or ME can be eligible for the benefits. All the patient needs to do is to accomplish all the requirements of medical records and reports from his doctor that supports his claim that he is unable to perform his work for at least 6 months because of CFS.

Once your medical records allow you to have benefits, yours will come as a medical-vocational allowance. The SSA or Social Security Administration will look for jobs or programs that accommodate the skills you have and your functionality can perform so that you can still work with limitations and restrictions. If worse comes to worst and you really are unable to perform any work as researched by the SSA, you will be awarded the disability benefits provided that you supply them with more comprehensive medical records and reports from different specialists and doctors to support your claim.

The need for an attorney

It is a common fact that before you get disability benefits from the SSA, a rigorous investigation and procedure are to be made. That is why some patients hire a Social Security Disability attorney to help them process the necessary forms and reports that will support their condition and their claims for disability benefits. The payment for these attorneys can be after the case has been closed and you have been awarded the disability benefits; however, if you lose your case, most lawyers do not have the heart to charge you for their services.