Disability Application Forms

There are two mandatory initial application forms for adults – the “Disability Report Form SSA-3368-BK” and the “Work History Report Form SSA-3369-BK.” A third application form, the “Function Report Form SSA-3373-BK” is not mandatory, but in my opinion, is very important to complete and send in with your application. You may be surprised to learn that the disability caseworker who makes the decision on your claim at the state level never lays eyes on you, so they never actually get to see how your condition limits you. So the best way for them to “see” how limited you are by your condition is for you to show them by your description in the Social Security disability forms.

Take personal responsibility

You must take personal responsibility and do some preparation before filing your application. This is your claim, and in order to take control of it, you must be proactive in seeking out and providing all necessary information in as much detail as possible. The more you prepare, the more likely you will present a stronger case for winning disability benefits.

I recommend you download the initial application forms and fill them out in advance. That way, you’ll have time to gather all necessary information, and be able to carefully think through answering all of the questions on the forms.

To download these forms as a type-in-the-blank PDF, click on the links below:

Disability Report Form SSA-3368-BK

This 10-page form must be completed by all Social Security disability applicants and asks for the following information: your contact information, your medical conditions and how they prevent you from working, when you stopped working, information about your work, your doctors and treatment dates, names of medications and any tests you have had, and information about your education and vocational training.

Work History Report Form SSA-3369-BK
This 8-page form must be completed by all Social Security disability applicants and asks for a detailed description and dates for all work you have done in the 15 years before you became disabled.

Function Report Form SSA-3373-BK
This 8-page form asks for a detailed description of how you are limited in your daily activities because of your medical condition. This form is optional depending on the preference of your disability caseworker, though this form is very important to support your disability claim. Your disability caseworker never actually gets to meet you or see how your activities are limited because of your condition, so it is very important for you to “show” them how you are limited and can’t work by accurately completing this form in detail.