- Details
- Last Updated: 28 November 2022 28 November 2022
"Applying for Social Security Disability Benefits if You Have ME/CFS or Fibromyalgia”
The presentation is also relevant to Long Covid and Chronic Lyme Disease.
Sunday, February 20, 2022, 4 p.m. ET
The Conversation discusses when and how to apply for benefits, qualification requirements, the application process, and how to medically-document your disability – as well as how to optimize your chances for approval.
An experienced disability and worker’s compensation attorney discusses the role of an attorney in the disability process and the need for legal representation at hearings. A parent of an ME/CFS patient will discuss how he assisted his daughter win her benefits.
Links for this program
Playlist
Full event video
Part 1: Applying for Disability
Part 2: Patient Experience
Part 3: An Attorney's Role
Part 4: Q&A
Your Questions Answered! (from Chat)
Featured speakers
Atty. Ron Belluso, attorney specializing in disability at Keches Law Group, and a MassME Board member. Ron has successfully represented many ME/CFS and other disabled patients through the disability process and at Administrative Hearings and is a member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimant’s Representatives (NOSSCR).
Ken Casanova, MassME member and Disability Counselor. Ken is the primary author of the Association’s Disability Handbook, “How to Apply for Social Security if You Have ME/CFS,” and has guided nearly 100 people through the disability process over the years. He has been the Association's president twice, and has been a social worker, community organizer, and legislative advocate.
Bob Robitaille, MassME member and volunteer. Bob assisted his daughter win her Disability benefits and now provides guidance to others as a member of our Patient Services team.
Moderator: Karin Dove, MassME Patient Services Volunteer
Notice about names
The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association would like to clarify the use of the various acronyms for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Chronic Fatigue & Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) on this site. When we generate our own articles on the illness, we will refer to it as ME/CFS, the term now generally used in the United States. When we are reporting on someone else’s report, we will use the term they use. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal agencies, including the CDC, are currently using ME/CFS.
Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association changed its name in July, 2018, to reflect this consensus.