Be specific when answering the judge’s questions at your Social Security hearing.
Avoid answering a question with, “occasionally,” “sometimes” or “every once in a while.” This is not specific enough.
To you, “occasionally” may mean “every other day,” but the judge may interpret it as “a couple of times a month.” As a Colorado Social Security lawyer, I have seen this happen! A misunderstanding like this can mean the difference between winning and losing your case.
This is how specific you should be:
Question: “How often does your back bother you?”Answer: “About three to four days a week. It usually lasts one to two hours, especially when I wash the dishes. I have to lie down afterwards for about thirty minutes.”
Look at how much information the answer provides: frequency, duration, causation, result! This is a great answer!
What if I have good days and bad days?
You can still be specific. Even if you symptoms vary quite a bit, you should still be able to answer these questions:
- What kind of symptoms do you have on a normal day?
- What kind of symptoms do you have on a bad day?
- What kind of symptoms do you have on a good day?
- How many days per week (or months) are normal days? Good days? Bad days?
I understand that this is not something which comes naturally to most people. We are not machines after all.
But, it is important to remember that the judge is using your answers to determine your work-place limitations. The more specific you are, but more accurate the judge’s limitations will be.
Do you have a story about your hearing, or a question the judge asked you? Tell us in the comments!
