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Spent 6 months filling out disability forms wrong because I didn't read the 'check all that apply' part
I was applying for disability through the CA system, and for 6 months straight I only checked one box per question on the symptoms section. My doctor finally asked me why I only listed back pain and nothing else. Turns out you're supposed to click every single thing that applies to you, I thought it was like a multiple choice test where you pick the best answer. Has anyone else missed an obvious instruction like that on their forms?
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jessicaw5417d ago
Oh man that is such a painful thing to go through. My friend Sarah had almost the same problem with her housing assistance application. She spent like five months getting rejected over and over. One day I was over at her place and she was crying about it so I asked to see the form. It literally said in bold letters "check all boxes that describe your situation" but she had been picking just one like it was a personality quiz or something. The whole thing is designed to trip you up honestly. She finally got approved after she started checking everything that even slightly applied to her. It's crazy how one little sentence can waste half a year of your life.
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ivanlewis17d ago
Oh wow, I feel for you. But just a small heads up on something you said - in my experience, government disability forms are actually pretty picky about only checking boxes for things you genuinely have. I've seen friends overdo it by checking everything and then the doctor has to do a whole verification thing that slows everything down even more. Like with depression, if you check it but really only have anxiety from dealing with your back pain, that can cause problems later. Your mileage may vary of course, but I'd say focus on what your actual medical records support rather than trying to match the form's expectations too literally.
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