Attorney Jeff Rabin in Chicago, a national expert in Social Security law and fibromyalgia, offers this evaluation of the new ruling, see his analysis on his web site www.rabinsslaw.com
“…The new Ruling, SSR 12-2p, eliminates any last vestige of doubt about the existence of Fibromyalgia as a severe medical problem which can cause a patient to be totally disabled under the Social Security Act. We can expect some debate over how the diagnostic criteria get applied by adjudicators and ALJs. The Ruling does not change the burden upon the Claimant to still prove the severity of the symptoms and how those symptoms make sustained work impossible. However, simply the acknowledgement of the disease and its potential impact on the lives of people suffering from this condition is an important event for FM patients…”