Whether or not you are granted disability benefits is heavily dependent on the information you are required to provide to Social Security. I cannot stress this enough—the accuracy and completeness of the information about your situation can make or break your case.
One of the critically important forms you must submit to Social Security is the Work History Form. The basic objective of this form is to give the Social Security Administration a detailed snapshot of your work experience for the 15 years before you became disabled. The Work History Form will ask about the jobs you held in the past, the duties required in each position, and the skills and experience you gained in each job
Tips For Filling Out The Work History Form
First, don’t leave any question or section blank. When blanks are left on the form, Social Security must collect more information before they can make a decision on your claim. Of course this delays the already slow decision-making process. If you don’t know the answer or if it doesn’t apply, write down “I don’t know,” or “Does not apply.”
Other major causes of delays in benefits decisions are inconsistencies and incompleteness. Prepare a master list of your employment information. This will ensure that job titles, dates of employment, rates of pay, and other information you enter on various forms all matches up.
Provide additional information, when needed. Some sections of the Work History Form ask for “further explanation” of the answers you provide. Be very detailed in your responses. For example, the form will ask you about “lifting and carrying” activities that were part of your job. Your answer should include detailed descriptions of what you lifted and carried, how often, and why.
At the end of the Work History Form there is a “Remarks” section where you can further explain any of your answers from the other parts of the form. This section can be a good place to advance your argument about how your medical condition prevents you from being able to work. But this can get tricky. Whenever you volunteer information that Social Security has not specifically asked for, you run the risk of harming rather than helping your case. This is where a skilled and experienced disability attorney can help you and improve your chances of receiving benefits.
Contact Our Experienced Social Security Disability Attorneys Today
Contact Cuddigan Law for a free evaluation of your disability claim and advice on filling out the Work History Form. We are here to help you get the benefits you have earned. Having qualified legal representation is essential to understand the social security process and complete a winning application. Contact us for a free phone evaluation.
