What to Write in the Remarks Section of SSA-3368

The remarks section is the free-text space on Form SSA-3368-BK, the Adult Disability Report, where you can add context the structured questions cannot capture. Most filers leave it nearly empty, which wastes one of the few places on the form where your own account of the claim can be told in your words.

Treat the remarks section as a short, factual letter to the disability examiner who will read your file. Explain what the checkboxes and one-line answers could not hold, and stop there. Used that way, a few paragraphs can do real work for your claim.

Where the remarks section sits on the form

On the paper Form SSA-3368-BK, several sections include space to continue an answer in remarks, and the form ends with a remarks area for anything else. On the online Adult Disability Report at SSA.gov, the remarks page appears near the end of the process, after the sections on conditions, work, medicines, tests, and medical sources.

Either way, the remarks travel with your claim file. The state Disability Determination Services, or DDS, which makes the medical determination described in 20 CFR 404.1613, sees what you write there along with the rest of the report.

Because the form asks short questions, remarks are the designed escape valve. When an answer needs a story, write the short version in the field and point to remarks for the details.

Why remarks matter as much as the fields

The structured questions ask what your conditions are, who treats you, and what your work looked like. They do not ask how your conditions behaved over time, what your employer tried before you stopped working, or why a treatment stopped.

That missing context is often the heart of a disability claim. A form that lists a diagnosis reads one way, while a form that lists the same diagnosis plus repeated accommodations that failed reads very differently.

The disability examiner reads the whole file, including your remarks, before deciding what evidence to request. Good remarks steer that request toward the records that actually show your limits.

What belongs in the remarks section

Failed accommodations and work struggles

Describe what changed at work before you left. Note reduced hours, schedule shifts, a stool or chair provided at a standing job, extra breaks, lighter duties, or help from coworkers, and note roughly when each happened.

Include the outcome, in plain terms. For example, state that even with shortened shifts you still missed days each month, or that your employer eventually eliminated the modified role. Months and years for each event are enough precision.

This matters because the Adult Disability Report also asks about your work activity, and remarks can explain why a work attempt ended. A short factual account prevents the examiner from guessing that the job ended for reasons unrelated to health.

Flare patterns and good days versus bad days

Most long-term conditions are not the same every day. Use remarks to describe the pattern: how often bad stretches happen, how long they last, and what they look like, such as days in bed, canceled plans, or trips to an urgent care or emergency room.

Avoid averages that sound made up, and never guess at numbers. If you track flares in a calendar or notebook, say that you do, because that record can support your account.

The goal is to correct a common misread. An examiner who sees a claimant who cooked dinner once might assume steady function, so state plainly that a good day does not represent a typical week.

Medication side effects

The medication section asks for names, reasons, prescribers, and doses. It does not ask what the medicines do to you. Use remarks to note effects that limit function, such as drowsiness that ended your driving, or hands too unsteady to continue certain tasks.

This also helps the examiner interpret your other answers. Someone who naps midday from medication side effects may look inactive on paper unless the reason is written down.

Gaps and breaks in treatment

If there is a stretch where you had no medical care, explain it briefly. Cost, loss of insurance, transportation, or caregiving duties are all common and understandable reasons.

Without that explanation, a treatment gap can be misread as a period when you felt fine. A single sentence in remarks removes that guesswork.

Why you stopped working when you did

The report asks for the date your conditions began to keep you from working. Remarks can tell the story around that date: the warnings or write-ups, the leave taken, the last day, and what your body or mind could no longer do.

Keep it factual and tied to dates. This is context for the record, not an argument about the outcome of the claim.

How to write remarks an examiner can use

Write in short paragraphs, one topic each. Plain sentences beat long ones, and the audience is a reader working through many files, not a judge.

Anchor statements in time with a month and a year wherever you can. Dates let the examiner line up your account with the medical records that already exist.

Refer to the part of the form you are explaining, for example by saying "this continues the work activity answer" or "this explains the treatment gap listed under medical sources." Cross-references prevent your note from floating loose in the file.

What to leave out

Do not repeat data that the structured fields already hold. Lists of doctors, medicines, and jobs belong in their own sections, and duplication invites contradictions if something changes later.

Leave out arguments that you deserve benefits, complaints about employers or prior decisions, and anything about appeals or denials. Those belong to other stages of the process, not the Adult Disability Report.

Do not include other people's private details, such as a family member's own medical information beyond a sentence about caregiving. Your claim, your account, your file.

If you run out of room

The online remarks page accepts a substantial amount of text, but if you file on paper and need more space, use separate sheets. Put your name and Social Security number on each added page and note which section the page continues, which is standard practice for SSA paper filings.

You can also send additional written statements after you file. The DDS examiner assigned to your claim can add later statements to the file, and anything you submit becomes part of the record the agency reviews.

Keep a copy of everything you write. Claims can take time, and your own record of what you submitted will matter if you ever need to reopen or correct the application.

Frequently asked questions

Is the remarks section of Form SSA-3368 required?

No, the remarks section is optional. It is often the most useful free-text space on the form because it captures context the structured questions cannot.

How long should my remarks be?

There is no set limit. A few focused paragraphs that explain gaps, flare patterns, or failed accommodations work better than long narratives that repeat other answers.

Can I add to my remarks after I submit the application?

Yes. You can submit additional written statements to SSA after filing, and the disability examiner handling your claim can add them to your file.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Social Security rules change, and your situation may involve details not covered here. Consult a qualified representative or contact SSA directly for advice about your claim.