Guide to Fibromyalgia Disability Claims
What to do if I have Fibromyalgia
Patients with fibromyalgia often have chronic, widespread pain all over their body, and a constant sense of exhaustion will interfere with their daily activities. Fibromyalgia impacts many Australians, causing them to feel tired, sore, stiff, and ache all day long.
How to Get Financial Support Services
Numerous symptoms of this crippling condition will interfere with your ability to perform your job, especially if a mental health issue is present. So, how can you get financial support when your ability to work has been compromised? The good news is that you can legally claim insurance benefits that help pay the bills, allowing you to focus on your recovery.
When medical conditions prevent you from working permanently, you could have:
- A successful TPD claim
- For temporary time off work, you could claim income protection benefits.
100% No Win, No Fee Fibromyalgia Insurance Claims
Get immediate legal support now by calling 1300 873 252. Aussie Injury Lawyers provide effective legal representation on a 100% no-win, no-fee basis, which means you pay when you win and zero if you lose.
How is Fibromyalgia Defined?
Numerous minor stimuli, such as smells, sounds, temperature changes, and light touch, can cause fibromyalgia, a medical condition that causes severe musculoskeletal pain. Fibromyalgia may amplify pain signals by changing how your central nervous system processes painful and nonpainful stimuli.
Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Some people experience symptoms following a significant event, such as surgery, a physical injury, a major psychological stressor, or an infection. For others, the symptoms become progressively worse over time.
If you suffer from this medical condition, you might also experience the following:
- Tension headaches
- TMJ disorders
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Joint stiffness and pain
- Trouble swallowing
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Muscle pain
Other fibromyalgia symptoms can include associated mental health conditions, such as:
- Anxiety and depression
- Stress disorders like PTSD
These persistent symptoms will challenge your capacity to perform daily activities and reduce your ability to work.
Can you work with Fibromyalgia?
Can people with fibromyalgia work? This medical condition causes fatigue; you feel tired, and your muscles have specific spots where pressing them induces intense pain. You can look fine on the outside, but internally your unpredictable flare-ups, exhaustion and headaches can lead to anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders.
Consequrntly, you will have trouble working in your usual occupation when your symptoms stop you from performing your everyday tasks, like:
- Sitting or standing for long periods
- Lift or carry objects
- Push, pull or grasp objects
- Trouble bending, lifting and walking
Even minor physical tasks will be challenging due to the frequent tingling and numbness you can experience with chronic health conditions like fibromyalgia.
Excessive exhaustion will make it hard to focus on any task for an extended period, particularly when associated with neurological impacts. Depending on the nature of your regular employment, many symptoms will likely prevent you from earning a living.
How does Fibromyalgia-related mental illness stop me from working?
You will struggle to perform your daily job role when a diagnosed mental illness like stress, depression, anxiety or PTSD accompanies your Fibromyalgia. These psychiatric disorders can:
- Influence your perceived disability level
- Trigger short-term memory loss
- Cause an inability to focus on tasks
- Blur your thinking.
The good news is that patients with fibromyalgia-related mental illness can claim insurance benefits when a mental health condition makes them unable to work. It’s free to know if you can claim by Calling 1300 873 252
Is Fibromyalgia considered a disability in Australia?
As a standalone condition, Fibromyalgia may not qualify as a disability in Australia. However, if you have a diagnosed permanent disability and your illness is associated with other psychological or physically disabling disorders, you could successfully qualify as having a disability.
It is sometimes easier to qualify as disabled with a mental health condition than an illness like Fibromyalgia due to the difference in diagnosis techniques.
What Disability Benefits Can I Claim for Fibromyalgia?
People with fibromyalgia qualify for various insurance claims, depending on the severity of their medical condition and how it impacts their life.
When you meet the requirements, you can claim social security disability benefits and NDIS support. You will need medical records and related evidence to support your disability claims.
Make a TPD claim for Fibromyalgia
When your medical condition stops you from working in your regular job, you could have a successful Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) claim. Many Aussies are unaware that they have TPD cover and disability insurance within their superannuation fund to provide financial support when the unexpected happens.
How you acquired your condition is of no consequence. The chief criterion for a successful TPD payout is that Fibromyalgia stops you from doing your everyday job. A medical specialist would provide evidence saying your disability is a barrier to employment in your regular industry.
In most cases, you do not need to qualify as being unemployable in any occupation.
Aussie Injury Lawyers has a 99% success rate for claiming TPD insurance benefits, and they can be substantial, with a typical lump sum payout of $500k. We provide all our insurance claim legal services on a 100% No-Win, No-Fee basis. It costs nothing to know if you qualify, and you owe us nothing until we win your claim.
Claiming TPD benefits for a Fibromyalgia Mental Illness
Like qualifying as disabled with the NDIS, it is sometimes easier to claim TPD benefits for a mental illness rather than a physical medical disorder. Proving your incapacity to work can sometimes be simpler when you have a diagnosed psychological or psychiatric disease like:
- Depression and Anxiety Disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
In this situation, a medical health professional would diagnose your illness and verify your incapacity to work. Contact our friendly legal team now to see if you qualify. It’s free to understand your options.
Can I Claim Income Protection (TTD) for Fibromyalgia?
When your fibromyalgia is diagnosed as a temporary condition, you could still claim insurance benefits if you have income protection insurance within your superannuation policy (or elsewhere). Sometimes insurance policies are attached to union memberships or other organisations.
In this case, your medical report would show your temporary inability to work, and once approved, you would receive regular payments. If your condition worsens, you could claim your TPD benefits at a later date.
National Disability Insurance Scheme
Patients with fibromyalgia can receive NDIS benefits when they have medical documents proving their impairments, such as:
- Severe and widespread pain
- Mobility issues
- Cognitive
- Problems with cognition
In other words, an overall reduction in capacity to everyday tasks.
Does Fibromyalgia Qualify for a Disability Support Pension?
In Australia, a disability support pension is not automatically provided to fibromyalgia patients. But, when a medical condition severely limits your daily activities and keeps you from working for more than two years, the Social Security Administration may approve financial help based on your disabilities.
Your treating doctor or other health professionals must provide compelling medical evidence for you to win your case, as stipulated in the disabilities act.
Legal Help With Fibromyalgia Disability Insurance Claims
Your super fund insurance cover exists to help you in your time of need. However, large insurers often seek to protect their profits before safeguarding your income. You will need informed legal advice from an experienced insurance claim lawyer to ensure you access all your entitlements.
Aussie Injury Lawyers are TPD insurance claim experts backed by our 99% success rate. When we accept your case, you have a high chance of getting your payout. Our 100% No Win, No Fee policy means you carry no financial risk. It’s free to know:
- Your eligibility to claim
- How many claims you could make (some people have multiple)
- Your chance of success
- The value of your claims
- How long it takes to get your lump sum payment
Our legal team will clarify the claims process step by step and when you might access your insurance entitlements.
Australia Wide Insurance Claim Lawyers
When you need expert legal advice for a fibromyalgia-related insurance claim or income protection claim, it’s good to know that Aussie Injury Lawyers are located in all mainland capital cities. Choose your location:
FAQs for: Is Fibromyalgia a Disability?
Patients with fibromyalgia should:
- Not push through the pain and symptoms (try not to do too much)
- Avoid overdoing it on your good days
- Remember to pace yourself, it’s not a competition
- Keep exercising when you can
- Be sure to get enough sleep
- Remember to relax
- Stage 1. Localised fibromyalgia with common symptoms
- Stage 2. Broadened fibromyalgia accompanied by more symptoms and a growing amount of widespread pain
- Stage 3. Advanced fibromyalgia accompanied by other associated conditions that include escalating widespread pain, sleep disturbances, and sensitivity to chemicals
- Stage 4. Secondary fibromyalgia caused by an underlying health condition
People living with a fibromyalgia diagnosis can enjoy a normal and fulfilling life despite the considerable impact this health condition has on their daily lives. This is particularly true when they receive regular treatment from a qualified doctor.
