By Ed of Allsup
The Social Security Administration (SSA) wants to know how an alleged impairment affects the daily life of applicants for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
They want to know if you can drive your car, if you can go shopping, if you can still tend to your backyard garden and if you cook your own meals. Can you still feed and bathe yourself? How long can you stand or sit?
They’re not just being nosey. It’s a matter of determining if, and how much, your disability affects your ability to work and live a normal life.
What Goes Into Activities of Daily Living
The SSA gets many of these answers from the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) questionnaire, a multipage form that asks simple questions that don’t always call for simple answers. The information that you supply may very well make the difference between your claim being awarded or denied.
Answer the questions accurately, but completely. Details count. For example, one question may ask if you can do your own grocery shopping. You may respond that yes, you can, but fail to mention that a neighbor has to drive you to the store, that you use a motorized scooter to navigate the aisles and that you must ask an employee to reach an item on the top shelf.
Unfortunately, the only information the SSA has is that you can do your own shopping and your answer may cause your claim to be denied.
Another question may ask if you can work in your garden or flowerbed. You may say that you do, but neglect to add that after doing so for 30 minutes, you have to go to bed for the rest of the day because your body is wracked with pain by the effort.
Help With Social Security Disability Application
When you just provide some of the truth, you may be missing the most important information for your SSDI claim. Sometimes you can give the SSA just enough information to deny your claim for Social Security disability benefits.
Help with accurately completing the ADL is one more reason to work with an experienced SSDI representative when you apply for Social Security disability benefits. An Allsup disability expert will help you complete this all-important form with accuracy and ensure the SSA has all the information it needs to make a proper decision on your SSDI claim.
Visit Allsup.com for more information on applying for SSDI or getting help with a disability appeal. Another option is to call (800) 678-3276 to get answers to your questions from an SSDI specialist.
