I wouldn't do a thing until you've gone to the following sites and read everything there:

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

I suffered from chronic ch.  I had 8 hits a day every day each lasting 1 1/2 to 2 hours long.  I could not focus or concentrate on work.  Spent most of my time in the bathroom headbanging and pacing.  Missed lots of work.  My pleasantries were lacking when it came to dealing with other people.  I was suicidal and very depressed.  I put down on my disability application ch and depression.  They denied me disability for ch but awarded it to me for depression after meeting with one of their shrinks.  Good thing I guess that I put down depression also on the paperwork.  I have been free of ch for over 10 years now due to medication I am on but the depression worsened due to schizophrenia developing.  So I am on ssdi permently now.

Its very difficult, for some reason they don't take cluster headaches serious enough. I have had them for 29 years now chronic for the first 10 years then episodic and now chronic again since 2007. Although I've lost 2 jobs because of them and I get counseling for depression the va only gave me 10% eventhough the military treated them for 10 years. You will need an attorney as I can assure you they will deny it the first time. Good luck to you.

As a requirement by Glaxco Welcome, makers or Imitrex, I had to apply for disability and in return they would provide me with 2 injections per day (patient assistance program), regardless of if I got disability or not. So, in desperate need of more Imitrex, I did apply for disability with no attorney and I was immediately approved by the government. After 2 years of government SSD, the state had to also give me disability, which covered the remaining 20% of medical costs.

Again, I got SSD + IN state Medicaid Disability for Chronic Cluster Headaches. The paperwork (diagnosis & prognosis)your doctor / neurologist must fill out will make or break your case.

The US government does see Chronic Clusters as a severe disability. With the right papers from your doctor, you shouldn't need a lawyer.

see....  guidelines.gov   Section 72  - Cluster Headaches

Sorry I don't have a more precise link at the moment as I am on my back up laptop.

These are the only reasonably recent reports I could find in the medical literature which might be used to support a claim. At least, print them out and save for your lawyer.
================
Cephalalgia. 2007 Apr 25; [Epub ahead of print]

Burden of cluster headache.

Jensen R, Lyngberg A, Jensen R.

Danish Headache Centre, Department of Neurology, University of Copenhagen, Glostrup Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark.

The aim was to analyse the socioeconomic burden of cluster headache in patients from a tertiary headache centre. One hundred consecutive patients from the Danish Headache Centre were invited to an interview about the socioeconomic impact of cluster headache. Work absence and use of medical services were compared with a Danish population-based survey. Eighty-five patients participated; 78% reported restrictions in daily living and 13% also outside of cluster periods; 25% reported a major decrease in their ability to participate in social activities, family life and housework. The disease caused lifestyle changes for 96%, most frequently in sleeping habits and avoidance of alcohol. The absence rate among patients was 30%, which was significantly higher than 12% among the general population (P < 0.001). Use of health services due to headache was also higher among the patients (P < 0.001). Cluster headache, although periodic in most cases, has considerable impact on social functions, quality of life and use of healthcare.

PMID: 17459083 [PubMed]
Cephalalgia. 2011 Apr;31(6):671-82.
=======================================

Impairment in episodic and chronic cluster headache.
Jürgens TP, Gaul C, Lindwurm A, Dresler T, Paelecke-Habermann Y, Schmidt-Wilcke T, Lürding R, Henkel K, Leinisch E.
SourceDepartment of Neurology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany. t.juergens@uke.de

Erratum in
Cephalalgia. 2011 Apr;31(6):766.
Abstract
Despite being an excruciating headache, little is known about the burden of cluster headache (CH) regarding its various subtypes. In a multicentre, prospective study, patients with chronic CH (n?=?27), with episodic CH in the active (n?=?26) and outside the active period (n?=?22), migraine patients (n?=?24) and healthy controls (n?=?31) were included. Epidemiological data, the German version of the Headache Disability Inventory (HDI) and a screening for psychiatric complaints were applied. About 25% of chronic CH patients in our study received invalidity allowance due to CH. HDI scores (total and subscales emotion and function) indicated a severe headache-specific disability (one-way ANOVA: P?<?0.01). Patients with chronic and active episodic CH were significantly more affected than patients with inactive CH and migraine. Healthy volunteers were significantly less affected than all headache patients. Symptoms suggestive of psychiatric co-morbidity were found predominantly in chronic CH: depressive symptoms (56%), signs of agoraphobia (33%) and suicidal tendencies (25%) were frequently reported. Patients with chronic and active episodic CH were severely impaired in non-economic and economic domains such as disability, working life and psychiatric complaints. Remarkably, psychiatric co-morbidity was highest in chronic CH. Thus, especially chronic CH warrants special medical and further supportive care.

PMID:21123629[PubMed]