Improving Access to Legal Services for People Affected by Chronic Pain

Removing barriers to access legal services can help millions of people with long-term pain deal with the legal system and receive compensation that is due to them. For people struggling with chronic pain, access to legal services may be a constraint in getting compensation for their condition.  The absence of a sound legal counsel may prevent them from knowing their rights hindering treatment that they require that will ease the pain and achieve a better quality of life.  Roughly 20.5% of the global population is stricken by long-term pain mainly affecting the back, nerves, and head. Long-term pain is not only a debilitating condition, it also costs the economy millions of money in lost productivity and revenues.

Consult Legal Resources and Centers

If you are already living with a partial disability and are still working, you might be faced with a workplace injury that may aggravate a chronic pain condition. In this regard, you will need the services of a workplace injury lawyer who will help prepare your case and claim for workplace compensation benefits. A personal injury lawyer can help you navigate the legal system to make sure that you are pursuing compensation for the right type of injury. Unfortunately, many claims are invalidated due to several reasons such as failure to file the claim on time, absence of medical treatment, or insufficient evidence.

Hence, it is vital to enlist the assistance of a qualified lawyer. You might want to search online for attorneys who can represent you when seeking workplace compensation. The good news is lawyers and law firms optimize their websites for search engines by providing useful and authoritative content that will appeal to clients. Hence, your search will likely yield a list of attorneys in your area that offer legal services for personal injury claims. Similarly, if you require free or low-cost legal services, you can check the American Bar Association (ABA) to see organizations that offer assistance to low-income individuals and families or entities with pro-bono programs for those who cannot afford lawyers to represent them. Otherwise, there are free resources online that offer tools and info on simple legal problems.

Educate Yourself About the Code of Federal Regulations

Getting disability benefits for chronic pain can be very difficult and your application will likely be refused the first time you apply. It is estimated that around 67% of all disability claims are denied the first time of application. You might need to go in front of an administrative law judge to appeal your case. A disability lawyer can help you prepare for the hearing to ensure that your testimony and medical evidence support your claim and determine whether you are eligible for a disability check or not.

Before filing for disability, you must first ensure that your condition qualifies as an impairment. For example, under the Social Security’s blue book, chronic pain is not listed as a handicap. Ensuring that your condition qualifies you for disability benefits is important. Medical diagnoses that are often linked to chronic pain include inflammatory arthritis, neurological disorders, and somatoform disorders. Chronic pain may be also caused by back injuries, inflammatory bowel disease or chronic renal disease. Hence, if persistent pain is due to a diagnosed impairment, then you are going to qualify for disability.

It is important, too, to work with your doctor to establish the location, frequency and duration of pain, the effects of pain on your daily activities, and treatments used to relieve symptoms. How long-term pain impacts your daily activities and its mental effects must also be included in your medical record. In short, there should be ample medical evidence to support your application.

Living with chronic pain is not easy, but can be ameliorated if access to legal services and resources is improved. Familiarizing yourself with federal regulations and using free or paid legal resources can help you get disability benefits and workers’ compensation that are due to you by virtue of your condition.