Establishing a Social Security disability claim based on chronic pain
All Social Security disability cases require convincing the Social Security Administration that a medical condition prevents you from holding down a job. If the medical condition is chronic pain then it is critical that the medical reports substantiate the extent of your impairment.
The Social Security Administration requires objective evidence that shows that a condition could cause the pain
The first step in establishing a disability claim based on chronic pain is to provide objective evidence of a “medically determinable impairment” that would be expected to cause that type of pain.
This objective evidence comes from medical signs reported in medical records and reports from doctors and therapists. Generally, these medical signs are from medically acceptable clinical or laboratory diagnostic techniques.
However, there are some disabling impairments such as pain from migraine headaches, where clinical or laboratory techniques are unable to measure the impairment. In these situations the diagnosis can depend on a doctor’s analysis of symptoms and history, and the physician’s analysis constitutes an acceptable clinical diagnostic technique to establish the existence of a medically determinable impairment.
Information in a medical report that helps a Social Security disability claim based on pain
The difficulty in measuring pain can cause some problems in proving a disability to the Social Security Administration. Sometimes it can help if your doctor answers some of these questions in his or her report:
- In what ways are the symptoms consistent with the objective evidence?
- Are the claimant’s complaints of pain credible?
- Do other patients with similar objective findings have similar symptoms?
- Are there additional indications that show that the claimant’s description of symptoms is credible?
Get an experienced Knoxville Tennessee Social Security lawyer to help
If your pain interferes with your ability to work, you may be entitled to Social Security disability benefits.
If you are not already represented by a Tennessee disability lawyer, and would like our evaluation, give us a brief description of your claim using the form to the right. We will respond promptly. Or you may contact us.
Joseph Sullivan
Law Office of Joseph P. Sullivan
Knoxville Social Security disability law firm
523 West Lamar Alexander Parkway, Suite 1
Maryville, TN 37801
