In this age, most people record memories through digital photos, blog posts and status updates on social media. These are quick and easy ways to keep track of and share life events.
However, they are not the best methods of maintaining a record of your health when you want to apply for Social Security disability benefits. Anything that goes online can become evidence against you. It is better to track changes in your health with journaling.
What should you write about?
When it comes to your SSDI case, you want to write down the details of changes to your health every day. It may help to answer these questions in your journal:
- What activities (including social) can you no longer participate in because of your disability?
- At what level is your pain right now?
- When does your pain increase and decrease?
- Are there certain positions or movements that hurt you?
- How has your sleep changed?
- Do you require help with daily tasks?
- What side effects have you experienced from medications you have to take for your disability?
- How have your cognitive skills declined?
- What is the state of your mental health?
If you are unable to write, you can use an app instead. No matter how you choose to do it, keeping a daily log of how you feel can show a clear progression of the disability and provide vital evidence for your SSDI case.
Other useful documentation
Of course, the court can view your journal as subjective rather than concrete proof of your decline in health and increase in suffering. That is why it is important to have other documentation, too. These include detailed notes and reports from providers involved in your medical care, as well as records of all tests and treatments you receive. The more evidence you have concerning your disability, the likelier you will obtain approval for SSDI.