When applying for Social Security Disability benefits, you will be asked to fill out an ADL or ‘activities of daily living’ form. In this form, you’ll need to describe how your disability is starting to impede the ease and speed of your daily tasks. What you write in this form can be the difference between your Social Security disability claim getting approved or denied. Here’s how you can increase your chances of getting approved.

Mobility

Describe how your condition limits you from performing particular movements, like standing, walking and getting out of bed. Write down the specifics on why it’s difficult for you to perform these average tasks, such as a painful leg that prevents you from standing up or back pain that keeps you from propping yourself up. Describe the severity of your symptoms.

Grooming

Describe difficulties you’re experiencing in taking care of your personal hygiene. You need to let Social Security know how difficult it is for you to control bodily movements that are critical to you taking care of yourself, such as combing your hair or buttoning your shirt.

Recreation

You’ll need to provide the SSA information about your physical and mental abilities, and one of the best ways to do so is to describe how your injury is affecting your hobbies. If you’re starting to lose interest in your favourite pastimes, this can inform the SSA that depression and withdrawal may be starting to set in.

Interaction

Social Security will also want to know about your ability to interact with other people. Information about your social skills is important in evaluating the type of work that you can do as well as the possible existence of a mental disorder.

Source:
Explain to Social Security How Your Disability Affects Your Daily Activities. Nolo.com