How Much Detail Do I Need to Give on the Disability Function Report?
When you fill out a disability function report, you don’t just talk about work.
Knowing how your health problems affect your ability to earn a living is important, but you should also show how your disability interferes with other aspects of your life.
For this form, think about the answers to questions like these:
- How has your daily routine changed?
- How have your health problems affected your physical capabilities?
- Can you focus? Does your ailment affect your mental health?
- Can you handle household chores? (Cleaning, cooking, etc.)
- Are you able to care for yourself or others?
- Can you drive or run errands on your own?
- How is your social life? Are you struggling to interact with others or maintain hobbies and interests?
- How do you handle stress or changes to your routine?
- Are you having problems sleeping? Are you frequently fatigued?
You want to be complete and specific. Bad example answers are too simple, vague and not informative enough, things like, “I’m tired,” or “I can’t walk.”
Those statements may seem accurate to you, but they aren’t descriptive enough for the SSA. Good example answers offer details about how an impairment affects the applicant in certain situations.
Instead of saying you can’t walk, describe what happens when you try to walk. Something like:
“I can walk for 100 feet before I get short of breath and have to sit down.”
This describes how your health issues affect you, and it’s specific.
We also recommend avoiding words like “never” and “always.” An examiner may not believe that you’re always tired or that you can never do your household chores.
Your symptoms can vary in severity and frequency, and that’s okay. You don’t need to oversell your health issues to qualify for disability benefits.
An Oregon disability lawyer can help you flesh out your answers and give Social Security the kinds of details that could increase your chances of winning benefits.
Common Mistakes on the Disability Function Report
Many people think they can fill out a disability function report without much thought or planning.
But it’s easy to make mistakes on forms like this, and it’s more likely you’ll make an error that delays or endangers your benefits if you don’t seek guidance from someone experienced, like the disability attorneys at Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor.
Some common mistakes we see include:
- Leaving sections blank
- Writing the exact same answers in different sections
- Contradicting medical records or prior statements
Even if you have strong medical records, and your health problems seem like they should obviously qualify you for Social Security Disability, mistakes like these can sink your application.
If you don’t provide the needed information or it seems like your information conflicts with other evidence and testimony in your claim, that gives an examiner reason to doubt your claim.
Take your time with your disability function report, be honest, and ask for help when you need it.
Our Eugene-Springfield disability lawyers can help you avoid common mistakes that get applications rejected. We’ve been assisting people like you with their applications for more than 40 years.
We’ll show you how to answer Social Security’s questions the right way. We’re ready to help you make it clear to Social Security why you should receive a financial lifeline.
You won’t pay an attorney’s fee until you win benefits, so let us put our experience to work for you.
We’re with You Every Step of the Way
Whether you’re trying to determine if you’re qualified for disability benefits, you need help filing your application, or you received a denial notice and want another chance, our law firm helps from the beginning and stays by your side.
Have a Question about Disability Benefits?
Your health is bad. You can’t work. Your financial stability is threatened. So your head is swimming with questions. How will you get by? How does Social Security Disability work? We’ve gathered answers. See them here:
Disability FAQs »
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