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Especially when applying for Social Security benefits due to chronic pain, your credibility as an applicant is crucial to your success. Chronic pain is difficult to prove objectively since no one other than yourself can truly understand how you are feeling. For this reason, the examiner assessing your application for Bellevue Social Security disability benefits is relying heavily on how honest he or she thinks you are. Generally, examiners will consider the following as they measure credibility:
- Whether your condition is medically determinable.
- Statements made by those around you, as well as yourself, about the extent of your pain and its impact on your life.
- Efforts you have made to treat your symptoms.
- The consistency of your statements over time.
- Whether you have consistently pursued medical treatment.
- Whether you are demonstrating symptoms while at your disability hearing.
- Your overall work history.
- Whether you tried to do other jobs but were unable to perform due to the pain.
- Whether you are reluctant to apply for disability benefits.
If the Social Security Administration has any reason to believe that you may be lacking credibility, it may deny your claim for benefits. An experienced disability benefits lawyer in Bellevue can help ensure that you do nothing inadvertently that could ultimately lead to a question about your credibility when you apply for benefits. For more information about obtaining benefits following a disability, contact the attorneys at Cuddigan Law, P.C., L.L.O., at 402-933-5405.
