ANSWERING QUESTIONS SPECIFICALLY HELPS YOU GET APPROVED
After years of practicing in the field of Social Security, I've found that Social Security has a habit that most people are simply not used to. They define everything very specifically.
Most people, for example, know what daylight and dark means. Lawyers and judges, however, want it nailed down very specifically. Daylight is defined as starting 30 minutes after sunrise and ending 30 minutes after sunset. Social Security follows this same obsession for specifics.
If you go before an administrative law judge (ALJ) for a hearing, you'll be asked a lot of questions. You will need to be very specific in your answers.
You will avoid terms we all use in everyday conversation: terms like sometimes, occasionally, once in a while, a little bit, pretty often, frequently, a short distance, or not very far. The judge (who was a lawyer before becoming a judge) will point out that these words have no definite meaning. "Sometimes" can mean one thing to you, but something different to somebody else. So, you must define what you mean by "sometimes." Here are some illustrations:
UNDEFINED: "I go shopping sometimes but not often."
DEFINED: "I go shopping about once a week."
(Once a week means the same thing to everybody).
UNDEFINED: "I can't stand very long."
DEFINED: "I can stand about 30 minutes before my back and legs hurt." (30 minutes means the same to everybody).
This rule is actually very practical. The judge is trying to find out if you have restrictions that would prevent you from holding a job. If you can only stand 30 minutes, it would have a big impact on a lot of jobs. It doesn't help the judge if you simply say, "I can't stand very long," for she doesn't know how long that is. Answering in very specific terms can help the judge to fairly evaluate your ability to work.
The same advice holds for filling out Social Security forms, such as the Function Report, when you file your initial application. Answer the questions with terms that can be defined, terms that mean the same to everybody. Use terms like hours, minutes, days, weeks, etc. "I drive two or three times a month" is better than "I drive once in a while" or "I don't drive often."
Most people, for example, know what daylight and dark means. Lawyers and judges, however, want it nailed down very specifically. Daylight is defined as starting 30 minutes after sunrise and ending 30 minutes after sunset. Social Security follows this same obsession for specifics.
If you go before an administrative law judge (ALJ) for a hearing, you'll be asked a lot of questions. You will need to be very specific in your answers.
You will avoid terms we all use in everyday conversation: terms like sometimes, occasionally, once in a while, a little bit, pretty often, frequently, a short distance, or not very far. The judge (who was a lawyer before becoming a judge) will point out that these words have no definite meaning. "Sometimes" can mean one thing to you, but something different to somebody else. So, you must define what you mean by "sometimes." Here are some illustrations:
UNDEFINED: "I go shopping sometimes but not often."
DEFINED: "I go shopping about once a week."
(Once a week means the same thing to everybody).
UNDEFINED: "I can't stand very long."
DEFINED: "I can stand about 30 minutes before my back and legs hurt." (30 minutes means the same to everybody).
This rule is actually very practical. The judge is trying to find out if you have restrictions that would prevent you from holding a job. If you can only stand 30 minutes, it would have a big impact on a lot of jobs. It doesn't help the judge if you simply say, "I can't stand very long," for she doesn't know how long that is. Answering in very specific terms can help the judge to fairly evaluate your ability to work.
The same advice holds for filling out Social Security forms, such as the Function Report, when you file your initial application. Answer the questions with terms that can be defined, terms that mean the same to everybody. Use terms like hours, minutes, days, weeks, etc. "I drive two or three times a month" is better than "I drive once in a while" or "I don't drive often."
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