This month is one that should make many suffering through pain consider social security disability if they have disability qualifying conditions, as many states across the country have proclaimed September as Pain Awareness Month.
States such as Mississippi and Wisconsin, among others, have dedicated this month to increasing awareness of chronic pain, which affects 116 million American adults, according to the Institute of Medicine, and is considered a disability qualifying condition.
The Arthritis Foundation have also put forward a campaign which tries to spread awareness of arthritis, which Dr. Patience H. White, vice president for public health for the Arthritis Foundation, told The New York Times affects one in five adults. White said arthritis currently affects 50 million adults and could affect as many as 67 million by 2020. Ads from the foundation will try to spread the word of exercise by using athletes such as Billy Jean King, who suffers from osteoarthritis.
Claimants suffering from chronic pain should be aware that SSR 96-7p, which is a rule used by the Social Security Administration to evaluate claims of disabling pain, recognizes that a claimant’s persistent efforts to obtain relief from pain or other symptoms serve to enhance their credibility. In other words, claimants who follow up with their medical treatment for pain stand a much better chance of being awarded benefits by the SSA.
It is our opinion that claimants should make every effort to seek regular medical treatment for chronic pain symptoms. Infrequent or irregular medical visits or failure to seek treatment will be strongly considered by the SSA under SSR 96-p7 as evidence against a claim for disability benefits.
The law offices of Harold W. Conick & Associates are experts in obtaining benefits for clients suffering chronic pain from arthritis as well as other painful and disabling medical conditions.
