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What I Wish I Knew Before Applying for SSDI With a Chronic Illness

Living with a chronic illness and pain is exhausting on its own. You wake up not knowing if today will be manageable or completely sidelined by pain, fatigue, swelling, dizziness, weakness, or other symptoms. You may have had to leave work, give up hobbies, or cancel plans with friends. When your condition becomes too much to continue working, applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) may seem like the logical next step. But here’s the hard truth: many people with chronic, life-altering illnesses are denied SSDI on the first try.

The process can feel frustrating, confusing, and even insulting when you have kept working many years with your illness, when others would have given up the fight long ago. Many applicants are left wondering how to move forward. If you’re just starting the process or have already faced a denial, then you’re not alone.

Why Chronic Conditions Are Sometimes Denied

One of the biggest hurdles with SSDI and chronic illness is that many disabling conditions don’t have a clear-cut diagnostic path. Fatigue, pain, cognitive dysfunction, weakness, and dizziness can all drastically limit your ability to work, and they’re difficult to measure on a scan or lab test.

Conditions that can impact and limit working include things like:

Back pain
Knee pain
Carpal tunnel
Fibromyalgia
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME)
Lyme disease
Lupus
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
Long COVID
Rheumatoid arthritis
Migraines
Autoimmune diseases

These illnesses can look invisible to the outside world and symptoms often vary from day-to-day. Some days you may feel functional for a few hours. Other days, you might not be able to get out of bed.

Unfortunately, the Social Security Administration (SSA) looks for consistent, measurable, observable symptoms, and verifiable testing, which can make it harder for people with certain chronic illnesses to get approved without extensive documentation.

How the SSA Defines Disability

To qualify for SSDI, the SSA uses a strict legal definition of disability. It’s not enough to show that you’re sick or that working is difficult. You must also demonstrate that:

You have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment.
The impairment is expected to last at least 12 months or will result in death.
Your condition prevents you from performing “substantial gainful activity” (SGA), meaning in 2025 earning over $1,620 per month for non-blind individuals or $2,700 per month for blind individuals.
You’re unable to perform your previous work or adjust to other work due to your medical condition.

Other work that you appear to be able to do with your medical conditions is where many applicants run into trouble. If your condition doesn’t appear clearly in lab tests, or if you’ve tried to push through and continue working in some capacity, then the SSA may decide you are not disabled under their guidelines, even if daily life is challenging.

Common Application Mistakes With Chronic Illness Claims

Many people assume that if they have a diagnosis, then they’ll automatically qualify. But applying for SSDI is not just about naming your condition, it’s about proving the functional impact on your ability to work consistently on the job you were doing and on other work you could do with your residual function capacity.

Here are a few common missteps that may lead to denials:

Not explaining how symptoms limit day-to-day activity.
Listing a condition without explaining how it interferes with basic tasks like standing, walking, sitting, focus, concentrating, or interacting with others may weaken your application.
Incomplete or vague medical records.
Doctors often focus on treatment, not on how your condition affects your work capacity. If your records don’t include detailed notes about your limitations, the SSA may assume you’re capable of working.
Gaps in medical treatment.
Missing appointments or not following through with recommended treatments may cause the SSA to question the severity of your condition, even if those gaps were due to financial issues, lack of insurance, lack of transportation, or worsening symptoms.
Not including detailed work restrictions.
The SSA will evaluate whether you can return to past jobs or do other types of work. Without a clear job history and explanation of why you can’t return to past and other work, your claim may be denied.

The Importance of Medical Documentation and Daily Impact Reports

Medical documentation is at the heart of an SSDI claim. With chronic illnesses, the goal is to show consistent evidence that supports your diagnosis and explains how your symptoms affect your functioning—not just on your best days, but every day.

Here are a few ways to strengthen your claim:

Keep a symptom journal. Write down how your illness affects your ability to walk, sit, focus, sleep, and complete basic tasks. Include dates and specific examples. Social Security often will send you Symptom Reports or Function Reports to explain your limitations.
Ask your doctors to document your limitations. Don’t assume your provider is including this in your chart. You may want to ask them to include observations about your fatigue levels, how long you can sit or stand, and whether you’re able to complete tasks independently.
Complete SSA’s function reports thoughtfully. People hate filling out the long Social Security forms. When asked to describe your daily activities, be honest and detailed. Avoid minimizing how difficult even “simple” tasks can be.
Include third-party statements. Letters from family members, friends, or caregivers can offer another perspective on how your condition affects your life.

When to Consider Hiring a Disability Attorney

If you’re overwhelmed and have already received a denial, then you may want to consider speaking with an experienced disability attorney. We understand how the SSA evaluates claims and what evidence is needed to increase your chances of being approved.

A disability attorney may be able to:

Request your medical records and submit them to Social Security
Review your medical records and identify areas lacking important information.
Help your doctors submit a medical statement or mental health statement of your disabilities.
Assist with completing lengthy Social Security forms.
Request a hearing and represent you before an administrative law judge.
Work on contingency, meaning you may not owe attorney fees unless your case is approved

How Legal Support May Speed Up Approval

Disability attorneys often know what evidence resonates most with the SSA. They may:

Translate your medical information into legal terms that the SSA uses.
Collect vocational evidence showing that you’re unable to perform available work.
Cross-examine medical or vocational experts if your case goes to a hearing.
Track deadlines and communicate with the SSA on your behalf.

Their involvement does not guarantee success, but it may significantly help build a complete and compelling claim that gets approved.