FIBROMYALGIA AND WORK DISABILITY: Is Fibromyalgia a Disabling Disorder?
Section snippets
The Process of Work Disability
The word disability can have two separate meanings: (1) functional disability and (2) work disability. Functional disability refers to the inability of a person to perform certain activities, such as activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, or more complex tasks. Work disability refers to the inability to perform all or some of an individual's job. In the current discussion we use work disability to mean the inability to perform all or substantially all of one's work
Aspects of the Process of Disability Determination in the Social Security System
A worker* who believes he or she is disabled files an application with the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA interviews the claimant and requests the claimant's medical records. SSA has no published criteria or rules to govern fibromyalgia decisions. Because there are no published criteria or rules to govern the evaluation of
Is the Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia Valid and Reliable?
In general, fibromyalgia has enough general acceptance that it is no longer an issue as to whether it is a "medical condition" or "a medical impairment that results from anatomical, physiological, or psychological abnormalities." Although the diagnosis of fibromyalgia in the past generally was made on the basis of a physician's assertion, current legal opinion suggests that formal criteria (or a representation of such criteria) be used for diagnosis. This usually means that the American College
A Practical Definition of Work Disability.
The authors find this definition by one of us (JP) as it applies to fibromyalgia to be useful. Three pillars of each and every employer-employee relationship (work) are: (1) regular and consistent work hours and attendance; (2) accurate and complete work; and (3) the ability to respond appropriately to supervision, criticism, and the general public. Where the sequelae of fibromyalgia significantly erode all of the three pillars of employment, disability should be judicially determined. Thus,
THE RATE OF DISABILITY PAYMENTS FOR PATIENTS WITH FIBROMYALGIA
There are scant data available concerning work disability from official sources because most official databases do not count fibromyalgia as a separate category. Table 3describes disability payment data derived from one insurance survey and several clinical surveys.
McCain et al22 reported data from a Canadian life insurance company, London Life, using a representative sample. A file review indicated that fibromyalgia was responsible for 9% of long-term disability cases. Bengtsson et al1
DOES TRAUMA CAUSE FIBROMYALGIA?
A number of reports have dealt with fibromyalgia developing in the work disability or compensation setting.* Although almost no data are available on the issue of causal relationships between work or trauma and fibromyalgia, the association between work disability or compensation and fibromyalgia is well established. A recent fibromyalgia consensus report42 on disability stated:
The clinical dilemma, whether an injury or work place stress
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Fibromyalgia: Clinical and occupational aspects
2012, Revista da Associacao Medica BrasileiraThe impact of judges' perceptions of credibility in fibromyalgia claims
2008, International Journal of Law and PsychiatryCitation Excerpt :The courts have not reached a consensus regarding the validity of FM, and will likely continue to struggle over the disability issue in FM even if objective evidence were available, because an objective finding is only one factor to be considered in resolving the question of disability. As such, plaintiff credibility is an increasingly important issue in the context of disability claims (Ericson & Doyle, 2004; Wolfe & Potter, 1996), especially because there is no simple method of assessing disability in FM claimants (Littlejohn, 1995). Cases involving more subjective medical conditions often rely, to varying degrees, on expert evidence to assist the court in disability determinations.
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Address reprint requests to Frederick Wolfe, MD, Arthritis Research and Clinical Centers, 1035 North Emporia, Suite 230, Wichita, KS 67214, [email protected]
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From the Departments of Internal Medicine and Family and Community Medicine, University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita; and the Wichita Arthritis Research and Clinical Centers, Wichita, Kansas (FW); and Potter, Cohen & Samulon, Pasadena, California (JP)