13 Tips for Filling Out Social Security’s Forms
Tip #1: Confirm that Social Security is using your legal name and that your Social Security number is correct. Use the name that the federal government has on file for tax purposes. You will avoid delays and confusion that will result if you apply for disability using a nickname or prior married name.
Tip #2: When you answer “why do you believe you are disabled” questions, focus on physical and mental limitations that arise from your condition(s). For example, you are not disabled because you have a herniated disc or because you have been diagnosed with PTSD. Instead, you are disabled because your herniated disc causes severe pain that radiates into your leg, limiting your sitting, standing, bending and lifting. Your PTSD would be disabling because it significantly limits your concentration, focus and emotional stability and results in crying spells and social isolation.
Tip #3: Understand how Social Security defines “disability.” SSA defines disability in terms of how your medical issue impacts your capacity to perform the duties of a simple, entry-level job. You are not “disabled” because you cannot perform your past work, and you are not disabled if an entry-level job would not pay you a living wage.
Tip #4: Social Security decision makers (judges and claims reps) rely on your doctors to identify and explain how your medical issues impact your capacity for work. This means you have to ask your doctors to put this explanation in writing. Narrative reports or functional capacity checklists are proven tools to help doctors communicate with Social Security. If you can include work capacity statements from your doctors when you fill out SSA’s forms, your chances of approval go way up.
Tip #5: You are not limited to the 2 or 3 lines of space on SSA’s forms. You are allowed to attach extra pages where you an go into detail about your impairments and the impact those impairments have on your work capacity. Make sure to reference the question number you are answering and your name and Social Security number on any attached pages.
Tip #6: Don’t be surprised if SSA asks the same questions over and over, but worded slightly differently, on their various forms. You are not imagining things. It is ok to copy and paste your answer when you see one of these duplications.
Tip #7: The deadlines to complete SSA’s disability forms are short - often as little as 60 days. If you miss a deadline you could forfeit hundreds or thousands of dollars of benefits and you may have to start over, further delaying the process. You are better off filling out the forms as best you can and sending them in incomplete than missing a deadline.
Tip #8: If you send in an incomplete form, you can supplement that form with additional information later. Make sure to include your legal name and Social Security number on any supplements.
Tip #9: Whenever you send anything to Social Security by mail, do so using registered mail, return receipt requested. If SSA loses your paperwork it will never be found.
Tip #10: Social Security prefers electronic submissions to paper submissions. When you submit documents on paper they have to be manually scanned into your e-file. If possible, submit your disability paperwork thru the claimant portal at ssa.gov.
Tip #11: When describing your limitations, avoid generalities and provide specific information. For example, don’t say “I can’t sit very long.” Instead, say “Because of pain radiating into my leg, I can only sit for 5-7 minutes before I need to stand and walk around for 3 to 5 minutes to relieve the pain.” Don’t say “I need to use the restroom frequently because of my IBS” - say “I use the restroom every 60 to 90 minutes and due to chronic diarrhea, I will be in the restroom for 10 to 15 minutes at a time.”
Tip #12: It can be to your benefit to allege depression and anxiety when you fill out SSA’s forms. Firstly, it is not at all unreasonable that you might experience depression if you cannot work and support yourself financially, and if you are in chronic pain. Second, if you allege depression/anxiety, SSA will most likely send you out for a psychological consultative evaluation. Unlike the “industrial clinic” doctors who perform physical medicine exams, most of the psychologists used by Social Security are reasonable and fair when the prepare their reports.
Tip #13: Do the best you can when completing SSA’s forms. Your medical records and testimony before a judge are far more important than what is contained in the various forms SSA makes you complete. Don’t miss a deadline or delay applying because of concerns about the forms. If you are not sure what to say or how to say what you mean, speak to a disability lawyer. Attorneys in this practice area want to help you and point you in the right direction.
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