Fibromyalgia Patient’s Self-Reported Symptoms Enough for SSDI

A woman who suffers from fibromyalgia and other ailments was wrongly denied Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, because the judge should have given more credence to her subjective complaints of symptoms and her doctor’s opinion, the Fourth Circuit said.

Esin Arakas, who worked in food service and real estate, stopped working full-time in 2010. Arakas was diagnosed with a number of medical issues, most significantly fibromyalgia, which causes chronic pain and weakness. Fibromyalgia symptoms are entirely subjective, and the presence or severity of the disease typically can’t be measured through laboratory tests.

An administrative law judge denied Arakas’ claim for ...