Winning Mental Health (and Other) SSD/SSI Claims: Function, 3rd Party Function, and Work History Reports Done Right with Maryjean Ellis
There are two schools of thought on Function Reports.
One says give SSA as little as possible. Anything a claimant writes down can be used against them later, and inconsistencies with hearing testimony are hard to walk back. The other says the claimant carries the burden of proof, and below the hearing level there is no other channel for getting a claimant's limitations on the record at all.
Maryjean Ellis argues for the second, and she can tell you exactly which authority backs it. In this session she shows what that position looks like in practice, from the day DDS issues the form to the consistency pass you run before the hearing.
Maryjean co-authored Mental Disorders in Social Security Disability Practice, so this is an hour with someone who wrote the manual on the subject. She walks through the four forms that carry a claimant's own account of their limitations: the Adult Function Report (SSA-3373-BK), the Third Party Function Report (SSA-3380-BK), the Work History Report (SSA-3369-BK), and the Work Activity Report (SSA-821-BK).
What we'll cover (45 min + 15 min Q&A):
Why these forms decide cases — how DDS adjudicators and ALJs actually use Function Reports, either to support a claimant's allegations or to support a denial when the form runs thin or contradicts later testimony
How much to put on the form — the two schools of thought laid side by side, and the authority behind saying more rather than less
The first 48 hours — what to do the day a form is issued, the internal deadline that buys you review time, and a workable script for asking an adjudicator for more time
Why your clients should not use AI on these forms — what an AI-completed questionnaire signals about a claimant's comprehension and task capacity, and why handwriting is itself evidence
Reading the returned form — a condition-by-condition review pass covering depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, plus what to do when a client has no insight into their own condition
The work forms — the one Work History question that matters most, the supports clients never disclose, and the impairment-related work expenses that get left blank
What you'll walk away with:
A defensible answer to "how much should we put on the form?" and the authority behind it
A first-48-hours workflow for the moment a form is issued, including how to ask DDS for more time
A condition-by-condition review pass for reading a completed form before it goes back
The four things that belong in the remarks section and almost never appear there
What to do about the work forms: the one Work History question that matters most, and the IRWE question everyone skips
Who should attend:
SSD and SSI attorneys and advocates, whether or not mental health claims are your focus
Paralegals and case managers who send, chase, and review claimant questionnaires
Anyone who has had a client's own Function Report used against them at a hearing
Much of the hour is mental health specific, and the work-form material applies to any claim. If claimant questionnaires cross your desk, this session is for you.
Can't make it live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording.
Speakers
Maryjean Ellis, Esq.: Law Office of Maryjean Ellis, LLC
Maryjean Ellis co-authored Mental Disorders in Social Security Disability Practice (James Publishing) and limits her practice exclusively to representing Social Security disability and SSI claimants. She was admitted in New Jersey in 1996, holds a B.A. in psychology from Rutgers and a J.D. from Seton Hall, is a sustaining member of NOSSCR, and serves on the Sussex County Mental Health Board. She presents seminars for disability representatives nationally, and presents at NOSSCR's 2026 Fall Conference on moderate mental limitations in medical source statements.
Will Yang: Head of Growth, Chronicle
Will builds Chronicle's practitioner community by hosting events, conversations, and resources that help SSD attorneys navigate the business side of running a disability firm.