Proving pain as a disability to the Social Security Administration

Our Georgia clients whose disability claims are based on chronic pain can sometimes have a more difficult time than people with other impairments because of the difficulty to prove or measure pain.

Pain, by its nature, is a subjective thing. People who have the same medical condition can suffer from different types and degrees of pain.

To establish pain as the basis for Social Security disability benefits, it is necessary to present both objective and subjective evidence. The objective evidence is the medical evidence that establishes the existence of an impairment. The subjective evidence is the testimony about how this impairment limits your ability to work.

To qualify for disability benefits, pain must be connected to a medically determinable impairment

For a disability to qualify for Social Security benefits, the Social Security Administration requires an underlying physical or mental impairment for that disability. That is, you must show that you suffer from an anatomical, physiological, or psychological abnormality that can be shown by medically acceptable clinical and laboratory diagnostic techniques.

Doctors can directly observe some things, such as shortness of breath or nervousness. However, pain is a little more difficult to establish because doctors cannot observe it. Nevertheless, they can see some of its manifestations, such as flinching.

Once you have established that there is a medically determinable impairment that could account for the pain, then you can move on to proof of the limitations caused by that impairment.

Have an Atlanta Social Security disability lawyer help prove your chronic pain to the Social Security Administration

Proving a disability to the Social Security Administration that is primarily based on chronic pain requires a careful and thorough record. If you are not already represented by a Georgia disability lawyer, and would like our free evaluation of your case, fill out our free claim evaluation form or contact us.