Oklahoma Disability Claims and the Limitations Imposed By Chronic Pain
Once the Social Security Administration is satisfied with the evidence that you have a medical condition that is probably causing you pain, it must determine the extent to which your pain impairs your ability to work before it can make a decision about your disability status.
Pain Is Subjective
However, the fact of the matter is that pain is very subjective and cannot be objectively measured. The Social Security Administration must rely on subjective evidence, such as testimony, in order to make such a determination.
To this end, the Social Security Administration will listen to testimony from your doctors, as well as testimony from your coworkers and family. The Social Security Administration will also consider whether or not this testimony is consistent with the objective medical evidence. It is important to have an Oklahoma disability attorney by your side to help you prepare for this testimony.
How Does Pain Affect Activities?
When listening to the testimony, the Social Security Administration is looking for several key pieces of information. First, it needs to know which of your daily activities are affected by your pain. Next, it needs to know the intensity, frequency, and duration of your pain. Social Security needs to know what triggers or exacerbates your pain, as well as the details of your medication use, which includes the type and dosage you were prescribed, its effectiveness, and whether or not you are taking the medication as prescribed. An Oklahoma disability attorney will help you prepare this information.
What Treatments Do You Receive?
In addition, it may also need to know about other treatments you have received for your pain outside of medication. This can include hospital procedures, the treatment you received from physical therpaists and the like, and steps you take to alleviate your pain by yourself (such as stretches or excercises).
This process is important, because your pain may well be more severe than the objective medical evidence suggests. Furthermore, certain medical conditions, such as back pain and arthritis, vary wildly in the amount of pain they actually cause. The Social Security Administration is willing to give you benefits even for a condition considered to be mild if you have credible testimony that the pain your condition causes is severe, as your Oklahoma City disability attorney will explain.
Our Social Security disability representatives can help you with your appeals process and make sure you get the benefits you deserve. Call an experienced Oklahoma disability attorney today.