Can You Get Long-Term Disability Benefits For Chronic Headaches?

Almost all of us have experienced the occasional debilitating effects of a headache. In addition to the intense pain involved, headaches can cause other troubling symptoms, such as sensitivity to light and nausea. While most headaches generally pass with rest and over-the-counter medicines, some people suffer from them on a more severe and chronic basis. Our Orlando long-term disability lawyer explains how you may be entitled to disability benefits in Florida if chronic headaches impact your ability to work or engage in other activities.

Common Types Of Chronic Headaches

Headaches can happen after a night out drinking, in times of heavy stress, after overexposure to sunlight, or from staring at computer screens. For most of us, rest and over-the-counter medicine provides relief. Unfortunately, this is not the case with some people.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), millions suffer from chronic and potentially debilitating headaches that occur on a regular basis and for no obvious reason. These can impact their ability to work or engage in daily activities. They generally fall into two categories: Primary headaches, in which the headache itself is the main health condition, and secondary headaches, in which head pain occurs due to injuries, tumors, or other underlying conditions.

Primary headaches include migraines, cluster headaches, and tension headaches. Of these, migraines are among the most common and potentially disabling. The NIH reports that migraines are the 12th leading cause of long-term disability for women and the 19th for men. Symptoms of migraines include:

• Intense pain on one or both sides of the headache;
• Sensitivity to light and blurred or double vision;
• Sensitivity to noise;
• Nausea and vomiting;
• Nasal congestion;
• Feeling excessively tired;
• Cognitive symptoms, such as getting easily confused.

While migraines are among the most severe types of headaches, cluster and tension headaches can also cause severe symptoms that result in long-term disabilities as well.

Long-Term Disability Benefits For Headaches

Chronic migraines or other types of severe headaches may be considered a long-term disability if they are expected to prevent you from working for a year or longer. Long-term disability benefits may be available either through an employer-provided policy or through the Social Security Administration (SSA). Information that you will need to provide to qualify for benefits includes:

• Statements from your doctor, diagnosing your headaches as disabling;
• Medical records pertaining to diagnostic testing, treatment, and any medications or other types of care needed to manage your condition;
• A journal detailing how your headaches impact you on the job and your ability to perform certain tasks;
• Statements from you and your family explaining how your headaches impact activities of daily living.

Request A Consultation With Our Florida Long-Term Disability Lawyer

While migraines and other chronic headaches may qualify you for long-term disability in Florida, obtaining the benefits you are entitled to often proves challenging. At Farrell Disability Law, we protect your rights in filing a claim and appealing denied benefits. To request a consultation in our Orlando or Jacksonville office, contact our experienced Florida long-term disability lawyer today.

Sources:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590049/

ssa.gov/benefits/disability/