Fibromyalgia and work disability: Is Fibromyalgia a disabling disorder?

Fibromyalgia appears to be an increasingly important source of disability claims and payments. Twenty-five percent of patients seen in rheumatology clinics have received disability payments. Yet fibromyalgia is a clinical rather than a legal construct, and there remain very important limitations regarding the reliability and validity of diagnosis and severity assessments outside of the clinic and in the medicolegal setting. Even so, preparation of disability assessments that cover key requirements can provide substantial assistance to disability adjudicators.