What is a claim for Chronic Pain?
That is a simple question with a complicated answer. Chronic pain goes by a couple different names. It is also known as a "lifestyle impact" claim or Somatic Symptom Disorder (SSD). It is a Mental Health issue that is connected to how your life is affected by the pain or discomfort you experience on a daily or weekly basis.
Does the pain you experience cause you to miss out on family time? How about not being able to exercise?
And then there is the "what if" factor. What if you weren't in pain all the time? What would your life feel like if you could still do the things, you can no longer do?
This all ties into having depression or anxiety because of your physical disabilities.
Did you know that there is a VA rating for Chronic Pain/SSD?
Let's get into the definition of what SSD is and why you should be claiming it.
SOMATIC SYMPTOM DISORDER (SSD) occurs when a Veteran feels extreme depression and/or anxiety about physical symptoms such as chronic pain or fatigue. The Veteran has intense thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to the symptoms that interfere with daily life. A Veteran with SSD is not faking his or her symptoms. The pain and other problems are real. They may be caused by a medical problem; they may not. But it's the extreme reaction and behaviors about his/her symptoms that are the main problem.
Reduced activity
Impaired sleep
Depression
Suicidal ideation
Social withdrawal
Irritability
Memory and cognitive impairment
Relationship problems
Helplessness
Hopelessness
Substance abuse
Anxiety
As the above list of symptoms shows, veterans with chronic pain suffer from more than
physical pain. This is backed up by multiple medical studies proving that chronic pain
has a direct effect on the brain. These studies have looked at how the persistent
perception of pain interferes with the natural balance of activity in someone’s brain.
Chronic pain can result in anxiety, mood disorders, and cognitive impairments such as
difficulty concentrating, difficulty focusing, and difficulty making decisions. The
physical pain and resulting secondary problems associated with chronic pain
significantly diminish a person’s quality of life.
Now that you know what it is, do you suffer from this disability? I bet the answer is a
resounding YES! SSD is claimed as a mental health condition and very often results in a
70%-100% disability rating! This rating is in addition to your already service-connected
disability. So, the question now becomes, not WHY you should be claiming Chronic
Pain/SSD. The question becomes WHEN are you claiming it?
We know this process can be overwhelming. We are disabled Veterans helping disabled
Veterans. We have helped Veterans win well over a thousand claims. If you want to be
successful in this journey, and if you want to stop being frustrated. Let us Help!
Come see what we are about! It's free to sign up and begin to win!
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