How to Fill Out the SSA Function Report

The SSA Function Report, also known as Form SSA 3373-BK, is one of the most important pieces of paperwork for your disability claim. If you’re wondering how to fill out the Adult Function Report Form for Social Security, look no further. Attorney Matthew Shupe explains what the SSA Function Report is, how judges review this form, and what you can do to strengthen your case.

Video Transcript: How to Fill Out an Adult SSA Function Report Form

I’m here today to talk about Social Security’s Function Report. The SSA Function Report form is one of the most important pieces of paperwork you will need to complete if you file for Social Security disability.

When you apply for disability, one of the things Social Security looks into is how your medical impairments affect your day-to-day life. Often, your medical records don’t contain any explanation of how your different impairments interfere with your ability to do things such as take care of household chores, or go grocery shopping. Social Security’s Function Report is designed to provide you with an opportunity to paint a picture of what a day in the life is like for someone living with the impairments you have.

Filling out the Function Report for disability

A Function Report typically arrives about a month after you apply for disability. It is very important that you take the time to complete this document thoroughly and answer every question. If you run out of room, don’t be afraid to get another piece of paper and keep on going.

I’ve been practicing Social Security disability law since 2010, and I filled out a Function Report last month. It still took me nearly two hours. It’s not the sort of thing that gets quicker with repetition. The Function Report is very important because everything you put on there, you are going to be held to those statements at subsequent stages of your disability application.

What are judges looking for in the SSA Function Report?

Judges look for consistency. Let’s say in January, you complete a Function Report about what you can or cannot do due to your health problems. Then 11 months later, you’re sitting in front of a disability judge at your disability hearing, and they are asking you similar questions to what was in the Function Report, what they’re looking for is consistency in your statements. If your statements are consistent with what you reported earlier when you’re before the judge, the judge is more likely to find you credible. If the judge finds you credible, they are more likely to grant your case. But if the judge can point to inconsistencies in your statements, then the judge has the option to say, “Oh, this person is exaggerating their symptoms. I’m not going to grant their application for disability benefits.”

Function Report Sections

The SSA Function Report form itself has four sections.

1. Section A: General information. Here you will add your general information including name, address, age, etc.
2. Section B: Information about your illness, injuries, or conditions. Here you will provide information about your illnesses, injuries, or conditions. How do your illnesses, injuries, or conditions limit your ability to work? How is this getting in the way of me both working eight hours a day, five days a week, and just functioning around the house or apartment? That’s the crux of this form. It’s the information we want to see that your medical records don’t contain. Only you know the answers to these questions. 
3. Section C: Information about daily activities.
4. Section D: Information about abilities.

If you have questions about Section C or Section D, let us know in the comment section. We plan to discuss these sections in more detail at a later time. 

Check out our next video, Part 2 of How to Fill Out the SSA Function Report Form: Sections C and D.