Chronic migraine and cluster headache are not epilepsy.

Last year The AHDA formally requested all Primary Headaches be added into the SSA Blue Book Listing of Disabilities. On February 11th 2014 Social Security Acting Commissioner, Ms. Carolyn Colvin responded revealing how the agency perpetuates the invisibility of chronic migraine and cluster headache by stating;

“We generally evaluate chronic migraine and cluster headache in adults under the most analogous listing-non-convulsive epilepsy-…“.

This tells us the agency already recognizes these conditions as disabling, but why hide them and create confusion? This makes no sense. Consider how this negatively affects the following;

Patients- Left to navigate a confusing & costly process of discovery because the clinical diagnosis, medical chart notes and other criteria are not analogous to epilepsy.

Left to navigate a confusing & costly process of discovery because the clinical diagnosis, medical chart notes and other criteria are not analogous to epilepsy.

Families- Often carry the financial burdens of their loved ones who are routinely denied a legitimate claim directly related to the fact the diagnosis is hidden.

Often carry the financial burdens of their loved ones who are routinely denied a legitimate claim directly related to the fact the diagnosis is hidden.

Employers- 20% of chronic migraine patients report being "occupationally disabled". U.S. lost work productivity due to headache disorders is more than 4 times greater due to presenteeism (16.4B per yr.) than due to absenteeism (3.6B per yr.).

20% of chronic migraine patients report being "occupationally disabled". U.S. lost work productivity due to headache disorders is more than 4 times greater due to presenteeism (16.4B per yr.) than due to absenteeism (3.6B per yr.).

Physicians- Exclusion stymies education of the medical community as it dismisses the seriousness of these disorders. This negatively impacts the career paths of professionals into this field.

Exclusion stymies education of the medical community as it dismisses the seriousness of these disorders. This negatively impacts the career paths of professionals into this field.

Medical Research- A listing would encourage researching institutions to do more research. Migraine causes 30% of the total disease burden and more than half of the disablity burden attributed to neurological diseases globally. Research is not equitable to the degree of the burden. Without a listing research is stifled

Inclusion does not guarantee approval of benefits. Conditions known to cause people to take their own lives at alarming rates are conditions whose time has come to have recognition with a specific listing in the Blue Book of Disabilities.