Winning a Social Security disability claim for fatigue symptoms comes down to two things: how you describe your symptoms to the SSA, and how your doctors document your fatigue in your medical records. Get both of those right and you have a real shot. Get either one wrong and a serious condition can come across as nothing at all.

When you tell the SSA about your fatigue, you can't just say that you're tired. It makes it sound like you missed a night of sleep, or you did too much the day before. Everyone gets tired. That word alone tells the decision maker nothing about what you're actually living with.

Instead, describe your crippling fatigue symptoms in real terms. For example:

That's a picture of a person who can't get through a workday, which is exactly what the SSA needs to understand.

The second half is just as important. You need to be describing these same symptoms to your doctors, and ask them to make sure your descriptions of your level of fatigue end up in your medical records. What you tell the SSA has to be consistent with what they find in your medical file. If your records just say "fatigue", or don't mention it at all, the SSA has nothing to back up your account.

Fatigue is real, and it can be disabling. But it's invisible on paper unless you make it visible: describe it specifically, describe it consistently, and make sure your doctors write it down. How would you describe your fatigue symptoms to the SSA or your doctor? That's worth thinking hard about before your next appointment.

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If you want to book a call with our team to discuss applying for disability, call us at 972-532-6375 or book a time using this link.