Disability Benefits Can Be Elusive for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) causes $9.1 billion in lost productivity every year, not including disability benefits and medical costs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The physical, emotional, and financial toll which CFS patients endure is immeasureable especially when faced with giving up jobs and careers because of disability. When faced with legitimate disability from CFS, patients also need to worry about whether or not they qualify as being legally disabled according to the Social Security Administration's (SSA) definition of disability.

In April 1999, the SSA declared illnesses associated with pain and fatigue as "medically determinable conditions" that require 4 or more symptoms from a specified list in order to be eligible for Social Security Disability benefits. Because Social Security has stringent qualifications for disability benefits, it can take a very long time to get approval for patients with CFS. Many patients are first denied benefits and then enter into the appeals process. To qualify for disability benefits with CFS or fibromyalgia, the SSA requires that the patient has at least 4 of the 8 symptoms recognized by the CDC for six months or more:

• Impairment of short-term memory or concentration severe enough to cause substantial reduction in previous levels of occupational, educational, social, or personal activities
• Sore throat
• Tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes
• Muscle pain
• Multi-joint pain without joint swelling or redness
• Headaches of a new type, pattern, or severity
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Post-exertional malaise (the feeling of being sick) lasting more than 24 hours

More than one million people in the United States have CFS, yet less than 20 percent have been diagnosed, making the situation even more complicated.

Related Resources:

• Social Security Disability: Do You Qualify?
• How to Apply for Social Security Disability
• 61 Questions About Social Security Disability Services
• Self-Help Guide: Applying for Social Security Disability Benefits

~ By Carol & Richard Eustice, About.com Guides to Arthritis / Osteoarthritis