How to Fill Out Form SSA-3820—Disability Report – Child
The Child Disability Report Form, or SSA-3820, is the first form you will complete when you start a disability application with the Social Security Administration (SSA) on behalf of a child. The application itself is completed during a personal interview with a SSA representative, but the information you provide on this form plays a crucial role in the application process.
Why This Form is Important to Your Disability Claim
The Child Disability Report is the central document in your application for benefits for a minor child. Its importance in the child’s disability claim is second only to the application itself. This is because the SSA draws details from the Disability Report to complete other required forms. You will also reference back to the form as a “cheat sheet” often during the application process.
Form SSA-3820 is a long document that requires you to provide a lot of detailed information, including:
- Basic information on the child, including age, weight, height, and other personal details
- Your relationship to the child and his or her living situation
- Names, addresses, and dates of service for the child’s medical care providers, including doctors, therapists, clinics, and hospitals.
- A thorough medical history, including:
- date of disability onset,
- a formal diagnosis
- how the diagnosis was made
- symptoms and other physical findings
- treatment methods, including prescriptions
- how the condition affects everyday life for the child
The form additionally requests information on the child’s education, home life, normal activities, his or her interests, and other details that can allow the SSA to make a decision on how significantly the child’s medical condition affects daily living.
Filling Out the Form
The Child Disability Report is a long and time-consuming form, but its central importance in the application process makes its accurate and thorough completion a top priority.
- Complete every section of the form to the best of your ability. You and the SSA will need to refer back to the document often, which means the information it contains is important throughout the application and claim review processes. Consult with your child’s doctors, educators, therapists, and others if necessary, in order to provide the detailed information the SSA needs on the form.
- Verify the details you provide. The SSA requires contact information for medical professionals, dates of service for when your child was seen, and other details that may be difficult for you to remember. Call healthcare providers to verify contact information. Obtain dates of service from medical bills and other records. Try to provide as accurate of information as possible, even if it requires some research.
- Get copies of medical and other records. The SSA will ask you to fill out a release form that allows them to collect records from doctors, hospitals, your child’s school, and other sources. Having copies of these documents yourself makes it easier to fill out the Child Disability Report form. It also allows you to provide the SSA copies of important documents during your disability interview appointment. This can potentially shorten your wait for a decision on your child’s claim.
Although it is best to have Form SSA-3820 completed before your disability interview appointment, the SSA can help you track down any missing information for the form. Keep the appointment as schedule. Rescheduling or missing the appointment only delays your child’s disability claim
