While we all occasionally experience days where for no apparent reason, we feel completely drained and unable to motivate ourselves to do anything, but it’s hard to imagine that there are people who live with that feeling every moment of their day for months on end. However, that is exactly what people living with chronic fatigue have to deal with all the time. After being in this business for more than a decade, we have seen a number of people suffering from this syndrome come to us for help with their Canadian Disability Tax Credit claim. Through these interactions, many of us who work here at Canadian Disability Benefits have witnessed the devastating effects of this disability first hand.

What is Chronic Fatigue?

Chronic fatigue is officially known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), and Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) among other names. While the most common name “chronic fatigue” may not sound serious, it is in fact an extremely debilitating disorder which is characterized by a sudden onset and lasts for at least six months. To make things worse, the cause of chronic fatigue is not currently known and while some groups (most notably women and lower income groups) seem to experience higher risk of developing chronic fatigue, it can literally hit anyone at any time.

Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue

The symptoms of chronic fatigue can closely resemble those of other types of fatigue which can be caused by various disorders and medications including:

• Impaired mental functions
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Muscle and joint pain
• Cold or flu like symptoms
• And a long list of others

Fortunately though; doctors, Canadian Disability Benefits and most importantly the Canadian Disability Tax Credit program recognize it as a distinct condition. As the cause of chronic fatigue is still currently unknown, there is no direct way to test for it and must be diagnosed through a process of elimination and a few strict criteria.

According to one of the most commonly used diagnostic criteria, published by the CDC in the United States, once other possible causes have been eliminated, a diagnosis of chronic fatigue can generally be made if:

• The onset of symptoms is sudden and new (not lifelong) and last for 6 consecutive months or longer

• Fatigue symptoms significantly impact daily activities and work

• The patient experiences at least 4 of the following concurrently

  • Post-exertion malaise lasting more than 24 hours
  • Unrefreshing sleep
  • Significant short-term memory or concentration impairment
  • Muscle pain
  • Pain in multiple joints without swelling or redness
  • Headaches of a new type, pattern or severity
  • Tender axillary or cervical lymph nodes
  • A frequent or recurring sore throat

How Canadian Disability Benefits Helps

For people living with chronic fatigue, the effort required to fill out the stack of form required by the Canadian Disability Tax Credit program can quite literally be an impossible task. In addition to that, the costs traditionally associated with hiring an expert to apply on their behalf commonly represent another impossible hurdle due to their symptoms frequently putting a career beyond their grasp. When you entrust your claim to the team of experts at Canadian Disability Benefits, you can rest assured that we will get you the maximum benefit amount available to you and since we will never charge you any fees until after you receive your benefits, the financial concerns are eliminated as well. Give us a call today.