How To Fill Out the Function Report in a Social Security Disability Case

How Do You fill Out A Third Party Function Report In A Social Security Disability Case?

Filling out a Third Party Function Report (FUNCTION REPORT – ADULT – THIRD PARTY Form SSA-3380-BK)

My suggestion is don’t have anybody fill one out. The only exception might be for a person with seizures which may require a third party observation. Don’t allow third parties to fill them out because I have never seen a Third Party Function Report used to help a claimant get approved for Social Security Disability benefits. The Social Security Administration(SSA) uses them to deny claimant’s benefits. These third parties are not part of the case and they do not have to be.

I will give you a few examples of problems created by these questionnaires:

A younger individual had his girlfriend fill out a Third Party Function Report. The couple broke up and the girlfriend sent in another report saying he was a liar and making everything up. She said he didn’t deserve SSD benefits. This created problems at the hearing.
I had a client say he never goes to church. The third party said he goes to Church every Sunday. The ALJ then questioned whether the client was as limited as he said he was.
The third party mimicked the client’s answers to the Disability Report Appeal. The Judge disregarded the Third Party Function questionnaire and then commented about the client collaborating with the third party, stating that it tainted the process. It states on the front of the report, “DO NOT ASK THE DISABLED PERSON TO GIVE YOU ANSWERS”.
The third party says the claimant takes care of their dogs when the spouse is the one who goes to the store and buys the food and cleans up after the dogs. The claimant only lets the dogs out in the yard.

Any additional information regarding the ability to function cannot be helpful to a claim. Sometimes third parties try to fill out the entire questionnaire because it says DON’T LEAVE ANSWERS BLANK. Nowhere in the questionnaire does it say to fill out the answer with “I don’t know.” The third party will either guess or put down an answer that they think will help the claimant. Some people don’t realize that “I don’t know” is an acceptable answer.

Remember the people at Social Security are very nice but they are not helping you get approved for Social Security Disability benefits.

Many people don’t really understand the importance of the Function Report and frequently answer some of the questions incorrectly. To learn what mistakes people tend to make and how to avoid them, watch our latest video.