In any disability application, Social Security requires you to complete several forms. A form about medications, a form about medical treatment, a form about working….and then they ask you to do it more than once! Is this just another example of government inefficiency, or is there a reason behind the madness?? Let’s take a look.
We can use the Adult Disability Report as an example (SSA Form 3368-BK).
Sections 1 and 2 ask about your background information (education, other names used, contact information for a friend or family member).
Section 3 asks about your medical conditions.
Section 4 asks about your past or present work activity.
Section 5 asks about your past or present education and work training.
Section 6 asks about what places you’ve specifically worked in the last 15 years.
Sections 7 and 8 ask about your medicines, doctors, testing you’ve had done, and ER/hospital visits.
Section 9 asks for any other locations that might have medical information about you (rehabs, prison).
Section 10 asks for any help you receive from Vocational Rehab, Employment, or other Support Services.
Section 11 is a “catch-all” area to give more detailed information that you couldn’t fit in a previous Section.
Once you’ve completed this form at the beginning of your case, why does SSA ask for the same/similar forms to be completed again? Why does your attorney keep asking you these same questions to the point you think you will go crazy or wonder if anyone is paying any attention to you at all??
Simply put, the process is long and things change. Friends and family that can help SSA or your attorney with information about you may come and go. The medical conditions you had when you applied may have changed or you may have developed new ones. Even if you weren’t working when you applied, you might have tried one (or more) jobs since then that have either continued or failed. Medications, tests you’ve had to take, and/or your doctors may have changed. Your living situation and household income might have increased or decreased.
All of these changes can and do affect your claim, so it is important for you to complete these forms fully and quickly. If you need help doing so, you are allowed to have a friend, family member, or attorney help you do that.
