One of the fastest ways to sink a disability claim is by filling out the Adult Function and Work History reports without realizing how closely the SSA scrutinizes these forms. They often arrive with VERY short deadlines, which makes it tempting to rush, but the real danger is not failure to respond within the deadline, it’s what you say. Judges regularly pull quotes from this report to justify denials, especially overly optimistic answers. The SSA will often not give you the benefit of the doubt if your answers can be interpreted two different ways–they will interpret it in the way that hurts your case most.

The key is consistency. You are telling the same story multiple times, to doctors, on forms, and eventually under oath. Small differences about how long, how often, or how intense something is can be used against you. Be honest about how little you may be able to do in a typical day, set pride aside, and describe your life as it is now, not how it used to be. Some sections of the form can really help your claim, such as when describing limitations, assistive devices, and medication side effects. Others, like the remarks section, rarely help at all. Thoughtful, careful answers can protect your claim, rushed ones can quietly destroy it.

For a more full discussion of what to say and what to avoid saying, please watch the video below. 

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If you want to book a call with our team to discuss applying for disability, call us at 972-532-6375 or book a time using this link.