When New Jersey residents think about SSDI benefits, they may conjure up images of a person with injured limbs, a bad back or a serious illness that prevents them from participating in the workforce. This thinking is not wrong, but they do not cover every ailment or injury that can result in a person receiving disability benefits.
One such medical condition that New Jersey residents may not consider as qualifying for disability is fibromyalgia. This mysterious illness has time and again left medical experts confused. For now, these experts have not identified a single determinable cause for the illness. But, while experts cannot figure out the cause of the disease, the results are better known. Those who suffer from fibromyalgia experience issues with sleep, fatigue, mood and memory. They also feel amplified pain.
The disease’s symptoms often begin after a stressful event. That could be surgery, physical trauma or even significant psychological stress. But, the condition is not restricted just to people who go through a single stressful event. The condition can also appear gradually over time. In many instances medication and other treatments can mitigate the symptoms of fibromyalgia. But there is no cure.
So, do New Jersey residents who are suffering from fibromyalgia qualify for SSDI benefits? It depends. As with any other disability case, the person seeking disability benefits must prove that their condition is severe enough to qualify. That means, at a minimum, showing that the condition keeps them out of the workforce for a significant period of time.