Why “Good Days and Bad Days” Matter in Social Security Disability Claims

by

Jan Dils

Last Updated February 25, 2026 In Social Security

If you emphasize your good days over your bad days in your Social Security Disability Insurance(SSDI) claim, the judge assigned to your case might interpret your positive spirit as proof that you are not entitled to benefits.

To prevent this, the SSDI lawyers at Jan Dils help their clients to understand why “good days and bad days” matter in Social Security Disability claims. You should respond truthfully to SSDI claim inquiries, but you should not exaggerate or downplay any disability symptoms in ways that give the Social Security Administration (SSA) reasons to reject your application.

How Can You Avoid a “Good Day/Bad Day” Trap?

SSA judges need to understand why you submitted your Social Security disability claim. General statements about “good days and bad days” are never specific enough to provide that understanding. Your responses will matter more if you give details of how your impairment affects your daily activities. If you have chronic back pain, for example, you can explain:

• That your pain prevents you from standing erect for more than a few minutes, bending over to tie your shoes, or concentrating on complex tasks
• In a typical month, how often you are unable to go to work or help with household chores because of your back pain
• The doctors’ appointments and treatments you need to function in any capacity, including the reports you have made to your doctor about the severity of your pain
• How exhausted you feel after pushing through your pain to do even a simple task.

We often encourage clients to record their pain symptoms in a daily journal that tracks how much time they need to do tasks, how much help they needed, and any adverse effects from pain pills and other medications. That journal can be a helpful reminder and concrete evidence of how your bad days outweigh your good days.

Should You Report Good Days and Bad Days on an Adult Function Report?

You will complete and submit Form SSA-3373, the Adult Function Report, when you start your Social Security disability claim.  You might answer the questions on this 10-page document differently if you complete it when you are having a good day rather than a bad day. What matters most, however, is that you provide true and verifiable responses that reflect how your impairments affect you over a long stretch of time.

You will be best served if you consult with an experienced SSDI attorney to complete and file this form. Experience matters because our attorneys who regularly represent clients in SSDI claims will have seen how SSA judges evaluate claims and what criteria they focus on to approve or reject them.

How Does the SSA Evaluate an Applicant’s Good Day or Bad Day Claims?

Per Ruling 16-3p, the SSA does not focus on an SSDI applicant’s subjective claims that they have good days and bad days. Rather, what matters more is objective medical proof of a disability that prevents an applicant from doing work-related tasks or managing day-to-day activities, such as preparing meals and getting dressed. When you hire Jan Dils to help you with your claim, she and her team will compile that objective proof to demonstrate why you might have good days or bad days as a result of your disability.

Call Us to Learn How You Talk About Good Days and Bad Days in SSDI Claim Applications

Please call any of the offices of Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law for answers to questions about why good days and bad days matter in Social Security disability claims. We can explain how you should address this question in a truthful way, without losing out on deserved benefits.