After you file your Social Security Disability claim, you may be asked to fill out an adult function report (Form SSA-3373), to aid a decision-maker in determining whether you are completely disabled. The function report should outline how your impairments interfere with activities of daily living (ADLs) according to your own words. Activities of daily living may include the ability to get dressed, groom yourself, prepare meals, clean your home, obtain groceries, and care for children or pets.
Although the questions on the function report may be worded very simply, it is important that you provide focused, detailed, and honest answers as to how each of your impairments limits your ability to function. For example, answering a simple “yes” or “no” to the question of whether you prepare your own meals does not inform the reader how difficult such activities are on a daily basis. Could you cook every day for a living? Can you only prepare simple meals? How long does it take? Do you require assistance to do so? Consider the accuracy of more detailed answers as opposed to simple nondescript responses.
Also paramount to your claim is maintaining truthfulness in your answers on the function report. Your specific limitations on the function report should be supported by medical records indicating difficulty performing ADLs. The answers you put on the function report may be weighed against your doctor’s notes or your even own testimony at a hearing. If there are inconsistencies or exaggerated responses, your claim could be denied.
