How to Fill Out the Social Security Function Report

What Is the Social Security Adult Function Report?

The Adult Function Report is a form the Social Security Administration uses to assess how your medical condition affects your daily life. It asks detailed questions about what you do every day and how your medical condition affects your activities. It provides the disability examiner with a clearer picture of how your condition affects you on a practical, daily level in a way that medical records often cannot capture.

Why the Function Report Matters

Although medical records can help verify your condition, health care providers only see you for limited periods. The Adult Function Report helps the disability examiner fill in the gaps by providing a detailed account of the real-world impacts of your impairments on your daily life activities. The claims reviewers will consider the intensity of your symptoms, how often you have them, and how your limitations affect your ability to function in a workplace.

Your answers to the questions on the function report carry considerable weight alongside your medical records and other evidence the the SSA gathers. The Adult Function Report may be the deciding factor in your eligibility decision

How to Fill Out the Social Security Function Report Step by Step

The Adult Function Report, form SSA-3373, is a 10-page document that requires careful and honest reflection on how your medical condition impacts your daily life. Plan to spend enough time on the form to provide thorough and specific answers to every question.

We recommend making a photocopy of the form before completing it or drafting your responses on a separate sheet, so you can review and refine your answers before completing the final draft and submitting it to the SSA. You can also access the form online and type your final answers into the form.

Section A: General Information

This section asks for personally identifying information, contact information, and living arrangements. Fill in every blank completely, starting with your full legal name and Social Security number. If you select “other” as your answer to any question, write an explanation where indicated.

Section B: Information About Your Illnesses, Injuries, or Conditions

Section B asks just one question: “How do your illnesses, injuries, or conditions limit your ability to work?”

Consider all the mental and physical activities involved in most work environments, not just your most recent environments. Provide specific information about how your condition keeps you from doing any of the following:

Sitting
Standing
Walking
Lifting
Reaching
Grasping
Typing

Concentrating
Remembering or understanding instructions
Paying attention
Interacting with others
Adapting to changes
Dealing with stress
Managing mental health symptoms

Be specific about the severity of each limitation and what happens when you try to do affected tasks. For example, don’t say “I can’t sit for very long.” Instead, say, “My chronic back pain from degenerative disc disease causes pain and muscle spasms if I sit for longer than 10 minutes, and I can’t concentrate.” Provide these types of details for each limitation you have.

Section C: Information About Daily Activities

Begin Section C by describing all of your daily activities, even seemingly small tasks like getting dressed. Include these details for each activity:

Time required
Your specific process
Tasks needing assistance
Negative physical or emotional responses

Your medication routine
Pain levels
Limitations
Challenges

Most importantly, describe how these challenges relate to your diagnosed medical condition.

Be specific. Don’t say, “I have lunch.” Instead, describe the problems you experience like the following: “My daughter prepares my lunch and assists me because arthritis in my hands makes it impossible to grip utensils or carry food to the table. Several days a week, the pain prevents me from feeding myself.”

Answer all questions in Section C with this level of detail. Make sure your answers are consistent with your medical records. Clearly illustrate the differences in your abilities before and after your condition worsened. Don’t exaggerate, but fully document every limitation.

Section D: Information About Abilities

Section D asks about specific activities. For each, describe your difficulties, especially compared to before your condition developed. Tie your challenges and limitations to your diagnosed medical condition. Include the following details:

Can you do the activity at all?
Can you do the activity with assistance?
What kinds of pain or discomfort do you experience?
How long can you perform the activity?
How long does it take to complete it?

For example, if your disability makes it hard to follow instructions, avoid vague statements, such as, “I can’t follow instructions.” Instead, say, “Since my traumatic brain injury, short-term memory loss makes it hard to follow written instructions. I forget the first step while reading the second. As a result, I cannot manage my own medications, pay bills, or shop without help.”

In the medication section, include all side effects and how they affect your daily tasks.

Section E: Remarks

The remarks section is the overflow area for comments you could not fit into other sections. When adding information to this section, note the number of the question you are finishing. If you do not have enough space, use extra paper. Beneath the remarks section, print your name, address, date, and optionally, your email address, where indicated.

Common Mistakes to Avoid on the Adult Function Report

The most common mistakes people make on the Adult Function Report include the following:

Vague answers
Failure to connect limitations to the medical diagnosis
Inconsistencies within the report or with medical documentation
Limitations underreported or exaggerated
Blank questions
Incomplete information
Rushed answers

The Danger of Downplaying Your Condition

Your Adult Function Report is your opportunity to paint a picture for the disability examiner showing how debilitating your condition is. If you leave out some of your daily struggles or minimize your limitations, the SSA will likely determine that your condition is not as severe as you portrayed, and your claim is at risk of being denied.

Inconsistencies With Medical Records

If your limitations do not align with your medical diagnosis, claims reviewers might question your credibility and assume you are exaggerating or being dishonest. To avoid this, make sure your doctor is aware of your limitations, so you have an accurate diagnosis and a medical record to back your claims.

Tips for Completing the Adult Function Report Successfully

The following tips will help you complete your Adult Function Report in a way that paints a complete picture of your disability for the SSA.

Be Detailed and Specific

Don’t just tell the SSA what you can and cannot do. Include the following information with every challenge and limitation:

How long you can perform a task?
What discomfort or pain the task causes?
What types of challenges you experience mentally or physically?
How the challenges tie into your medical diagnosis?
How your current limitations compare to your previous capabilities?

Use Examples From Daily Life

Provide real-life examples of the struggles you experience with daily tasks, such as dressing, bathing, preparing meals, following instructions, shopping, or getting along with others. For example, don’t just say, “I have trouble getting dressed.” Use examples of what you cannot do, such as the following:

Button shirts or zip pants because of arthritis
Put on socks because of back pain
Put on pants because of muscle weakness
Put on a shirt because of shoulder pain and limited range of motion

As always, tie the difficulty to your medical diagnosis.

Get Help If Needed

A knowledgeable family member, health care provider, or lawyer can assist you with the form to help you understand it and keep your responses specific and consistent.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Function Report

What Happens if I Don’t Fill Out the Function Report?

The SSA may continue to process your application without the information, but your claim will likely be denied for lack of evidence.

Can I Lose My Case if I Fill Out the Form Incorrectly?

Yes, your claim is more likely to be denied if you make mistakes on the form, such as providing vague answers, leaving questions blank, or failing to connect your medical diagnosis to your limitations.

Should I Write ‘Normal’ if I Can Sometimes Do An Activity?

No, you should acknowledge that you can sometimes perform an activity, but discuss the limitations you experience and how often.

Can Someone Else Complete the Report for Me?

You can allow someone else to physically write or type the answers, but the answers must come from you. You cannot give the form to your health care provider or anyone else to complete for you.

Do I Need a Lawyer’s Help To Complete the Report?

While you can complete the Adult Function Report yourself, an experienced Social Security disability attorney can help you understand the questions, avoid inconsistencies, and present your limitations clearly and compellingly. This can increase your odds of approval.

How to Fill Out the Social Security Function Report: Get Help Today

The Adult Function Report is a critical document that requires meticulous attention to detail. The SSA’s claims reviewers will need to see a consistent, detailed record of your daily challenges and how they relate to your medical diagnosis. If the SSA has asked you to complete the Adult Function Report, Disability Advice can help you avoid common mistakes so you get the benefits you deserve.