Activities of Daily Living

Activities of daily living can include any routine a claimant performs on a daily basis such as "household chores, driving, shopping, fixing your own meals, socializing, visiting family and friends, ability to handle money, performing your own personal grooming and hygiene, and paying your own bills."

Social Security Disability benefits are paid to claimants who lack the physical or mental ability to work or perform substantial gainful activity. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will, therefore, focus less on your specific mental and physical condition and more on how it affects your ability to perform work.

When the SSA evaluates your disability claim they will also analyze how it affects your ability to perform your activities of daily living with the assumption that this information will help them determine your overall functional work capacity. Information about your activities of daily living are collected through activities of daily living questionnaires, which you must complete, and third party questionnaires.