Rainbow at shoreline

The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association, a 501(c)3 founded in 1985, exists to meet the needs of patients with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) or FM (Fibromyalgia), their families and loved ones. The Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association works to educate health-care providers and the general public regarding these severely-disabling physical illnesses. We also support patients and their families and advocate for more effective treatment and research.

New Medicare payment for chronic care management

Beginning January 1, 2015, Medicare pays separately under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule CPT code 99490, for non-face-to-face care coordination services furnished to Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions. Learn more.

Social Security Disability Benefits--Advice from Attorneys

Disclaimer: The Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Association makes no recommendation regarding the use of professionals whose articles are linked to our site.

Disability Discussion—Social Security disability process is a presentation by Attorney Barbara Comerford to the NJ CFIDS Association (2010). Barbara Comerford, ESQ, has a practice specializing in disability law in the jurisdiction of New York and New Jersey. Through her work, Ms. Comerford has become a specialist in ME/CFS disability and spoke to the issues ME/CFS patients need to know.  She has held a post as a board member of the NJ CFIDS Association, The CFIDS Association of America (CAA), and The American Association of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (AACFS) before it became the International Association of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. 

If I am receiving disability insurance due to a workplace injury, can I also get Social Security Disability and/or Workman's Compensation Insurance?

Increase your odds of winning [Social Security disability]

Obtaining Social Security Disability with CFS by disability attorney Scott Davis, ESQ (2009). Although written before the 2014 Social Security Administration ruling on ME/CFS, this article contains good, general advice.

Social Security Disability Benefits, Fibromyalgia and CFIDS: What you don’t know could be fatal to your claim  by disability attorney Scott Davis, ESQ (2009).

Tips for FM patients applying for Social Security disability Ed Swierczek, a senior claims representative for a company that assists disability claimants, provides some good advice for fibromyalgia patients who are applying for Social Security (2011).

Understanding the [Social Security disability] system

Update for patients with ME/CFS, FM, or Lyme Disease on important issues affecting Long-term Disability Insurance and Social Security Disability A report of a meeting of the Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Association Disability Committee with two Boston disability attorneys in Fall 2014. This article contains important information concerning LTD insurance claims and Social Security disability. **This is a very important article for anyone applying for Social Security benefits, especially if s/he is also applying for LTD benefits.**

What type of information should I bring to my first meeting with an advocate?

Would I need a lawyer or advocate to handle my claim?

 

Social Security Disability

Disclaimer: The Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Association makes no recommendation regarding the use of professionals whose articles are linked to our site.

NEW!  Social Security Disability Information (November 2022)

Applying for Social Security Disability 

Attorney Fee Agreements for Disability Claims: What is a Fair and Legal Agreement? Read this important article before you sign a fee agreement contract with an attorney. 

Can private Disability Insurance drop my coverage after I receive Social Security Disability? 

Disability Discussion—Social Security disability process is a presentation by Attorney Barbara Comerford to the NJ CFIDS Association (2010). Barbara Comerford, ESQ, has a practice specializing in disability law in the jurisdiction of New York and New Jersey. Through her work, Ms. Comerford has become a specialist in ME/CFS disability and spoke to the issues ME/CFS patients need to know. She has held a post as a board member of the NJ CFIDS Association, The CFIDS Association of America (CAA), and The American Association of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (AACFS) before it became the International Association of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. 

Disability Resources A listing of contact information for organizations and agencies—primarily in Massachusetts—that assist the disabled.

Dr. Gudrun Lange Reviews Neuropsychological Testing for CFS and FM  Dr. Gudrun Lange, a Newark, NJ area psychologist, reviewed the process of neuropsychological testing for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and FM patients at the April 28, 2012 Educational Forum co-sponsored by the Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Association and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. She has sixteen years experience testing ME/CFS and FM patients.

Financial eligibility standards

How does a person establish CFS as a medical impairment? Although this article discusses requirements for Social Security disability, its detailed explanation is also germane for establishing long-term disability ME/CFS claims.

How does Social Security evaluate various treating physicians’ medical documentation of the patient’s impairments?

How does Social Security find a person disabled once an impairment of CFS is determined?

How do we document CFS? Although this article discusses requirements for Social Security disability, its detailed explanation is also germane for establishing long-term disability ME/CFS claims.

If I am receiving disability insurance due to a workplace injury, can I also get Social Security Disability and/or Workman's Compensation Insurance? 

Importance of medical documentation of your disability 

Increase your odds of winning [Social Security disability]

Long-term Disability Insurance and Social Security Disability 

Major 2014 Social Security Ruling Establishes New Standards for Documenting CFS/ME Social Security Disability Claims/Reviews  This is a detailed article about the 2014 Social Security Ruling for evaluating disability claims for ME/CFS.

Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Disability Handbook: How to Obtain Social Security Benefits if You Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/CFIDS) More detailed information on applying for Social Security Disability is found here. The article, “Major 2014 Social Security Ruling Establishes New Standards for Documenting ME/CFS Social Security Disability Claims/Reviews” updates to 2014 a portion of the Handbook on the now outdated 1999 Social Security Ruling.

Neuropsychological testing for CFS

Obtaining Social Security Disability with CFS by disability attorney Scott Davis, ESQ (2009). Although written before the 2014 Social Security Administration ruling on ME/CFS, this article contains good, general advice.

Primer for Social Security Disability Benefits  This article presents a summary of many of the elements of applying for and obtaining Social Security Disability benefits. A much more comprehensive and useful guide is The Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Disability Handbook: How to Obtain Social Security Benefits if You Have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/CFIDS) The content in the booklet also generally applies if you have fibromyalgia (FM), or even multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS).

The article, “Major 2014 Social Security Ruling Establishes New Standards for Documenting ME/CFS Social Security Disability Claims/Reviews” updates to 2014 a portion of the Handbook on the now outdated 1999 Social Security Ruling.

Required level of disability

Social Security Disability Benefits—Advice from Attorneys Read important advice from attorneys to optimize your application for benefits.

Social Security Disability Benefits, Fibromyalgia and CFIDS: What you don’t know could be fatal to your claim by disability attorney Scott Davis, ESQ (2009).

The importance of documenting functional limitations for long-term disability insurance and Social Security Disability 

The waiting period

Tips for FM patients applying for Social Security disability  Ed Swierczek, a senior claims representative for a company that assists disability claimants, provides some good advice for fibromyalgia patients who are applying for Social Security (2011).

To test [neuropsychologically], or not by Dr. Gudrun Lange

Understanding the [Social Security disability] system

Update for patients with ME/CFS, FM, or Lyme Disease on important issues affecting Long-term Disability Insurance and Social Security Disability A report of a meeting of the Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Association Disability Committee with two Boston disability attorneys in Fall 2014. This article contains important information concerning LTD insurance claims and Social Security disability. **This is a very important article for anyone applying for Social Security benefits, especially if s/he is also applying for LTD benefits.**

What are Social Security Disability Benefits?

What programs are available to an individual with few or no resources during the Social Security waiting period?

What type of information should I bring to my first meeting with an advocate?

Working while applying for Social Security Disability

Would I need a lawyer or advocate to handle my claim?  

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.