One one more thing be sure to get a lawyer to represent you the people at social security Court try to persuade me to proceed without a lawyer.Do not do that .if you don't have a lawyer you will never get disability. also benefits are retroactive in other words if you were disabled a few years ago and if your medical records prove this you can get Medicare right off the bat. You won't have to wait till your two year period. Also yes a diagnosis from a rheumatologist helps. As far as depression diagnosis that diagnosis must be from a psychiatrist not any other therapist .Hope all of this helps.

Additional comment : my SSDI reviews have been every 7 years.

If you if you have depression with your fibromyalgia you could get approved.if you can work part-time less than 20 hours per week. You can add a little bit to your SSDI check. Plus you get the usual yearly cost of living increases although it's a very small amount because the cost of Medicare goes up every time . Yes if you are young it is better to try to continue to work as long as you can. they they give you a small increase so sometimes you don't get any increase at all because of the increase in Medicare premiums.I get a small SSDI check so I have to work part-time.At age 66 1/2 they will switch me over to SS.At that time I will be no longer able to earn any credits.

A specialist that confirms you have fibromyalgia etc. will help. Then google the disability you are trying to get and see what the requirements are. I was denied my cpp disability because of error from doctors. See if you can copy of specialists reports etc. keep me informed

First get a specialist, or series of specialists to say you are disabled. Have them write letter(s) supporting this with diagnosis, reasoning why you can't work. Get forms from Social Security, make copies because you will need to work/rework it to get it perfect. Make your descriptions detailed about your disability. Ask SS whether you need separate forms for multiple ailments. I completed 3 forms. Explain your medical issues throughly, but concisely. Do not just state you have fibromyalgia. Explain what your symptoms are. EX: don't assume they know migraines. Explain the experience of migraine. DO NOT EXAGGERATE! Do not claim your pain is 11 out of 10. They will just dismiss you. Learn what pain scales state; use it appropriately. EX: 10=unconscious; 9=moaning, unable to speak. So if you are talking, the highest you can rate is 8.

Don't leave any blanks! If something doesn't apply, write NA. Have others review it to be sure it makes sense, tells your story well. Rewrite the form as often as necessary until you have told your story well. I spent 3 months on my forms, treating it like a job. Every night my hubby reviewed them, made suggestions, then I'd start over, rewriting as he suggested.

Print clearly. Don't write on the back. Give dates to help with your time-line.

Some VERY IMPORTANT things most don't realize. Once accepted for SSDI, your payments are set at a LOWER AMOUNT than your normal SS payments would have been, and will NEVER go back up to that higher payment!! You look rather young, so you may want to consider that fact in your decision before you apply. My SSDI payment was $400.00 UNDER what I could have received if I had waited until early retirement age. I was forced out at 60. Also, if you are 40-50, they're going to be harder on accepting you because they'd have to pay out longer. Plus, even if accepted, you will be review again after 2 years and possibly thrown off SSDI. I know for a fact that another migrainure was followed by a PI for months, documenting her going outside with her dog, driving to the doctor, and stopping by pharmacy. Since her SSDI claim had been her migraines were nonstop and she couldn't do anything, they threw her off SSDI. She had to fight to regain it. See? Don't exaggerate or make false claims! Besides, if you're sick enough, no need to exaggerate.

Last thing, if you succeed in getting SSDI, do NOT stop your health insurance!!! It takes 2 years before Medicare starts. You must keep private insurance during those 2 years. More than half of my SSDI payments were used to purchase my health insurance. Thankfully my husband's salary was enough for us to live on during those years. So prepare yourself for that situation too.