How to Answer “How Well Do You Follow Spoken Instructions?” on SSA Form 3373 (Function Report)

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Written By Jacky Writes

Introduction

SSA Form SSA-3373-BK (Function Report – Adult) helps Social Security understand how your medical conditions affect everyday life. The questions get into the nitty-gritty of everyday life. Because the questions are about daily tasks, they can be confusing to answer since the tasks are daily habits and we typically don’t think about how we do daily tasks. For instance, question 20 (g) in Section D on Form 3373 asks:

“How well do you follow spoken instructions?”

That’s hard to answer, especially since it depends on the instructions and who’s giving the instructions and what’s happening at the moment. Knowing what the SSA looks for can help you understand how to answer this question. You can scroll down below to see specific answer examples.

What’s the Purpose of the Spoken Instruction Question?

Question 20(g) on the function report (Form-3373) asks about how well you can follow spoken instructions because it aims to learn about specific mental health traits, such as attention, memory, and processing. Your answers can also help SSDI examiners learn about your physical functioning, especially your hearing and communication—and even fatigue. SSDI examiners compare answers to medical reports. If a problem in a function report answer can’t be traced to a medical report, it can raise questions. When you think of instructions, it might help to think of instructions that a supervisor or health care provider might ask you.

Below is an educational guide to help you think through your answer to the question “How well do you follow spoken instructions?”

This article is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Every claim is unique.

Where this fits in ssa rules

The Code of Regulations, Blue Book, and Program Operations Manual (POMS) have rules the SSA follows for SSDI claims. (You can scroll past this section if you just want to get to example answers, or keep reading if you’re interested in more in-depth information on SSA rules.) These rules tell the disability examiners what to look at and how to examine a claim.

  • Mental functioning: You can review 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520a(c)3 and § 404.1520b to see the SSA rules for looking at evidence for (1) understanding, remembering, and applying information and (2) concentrating, persisting, and maintaining pace.

  • Physical functioning (hearing/communication): 20 C.F.R. § 404.1545(d) points out hearing, communication, and work evaluations are considered.

  • Blue Book cross-references: Mental disorders are in Blue Book section 12.00. Special senses and speech for hearing loss are in Blue Book sections 2.10–2.11. (This is where you’ll find more helpful, detailed information on what to look for in your medical records.)

  • POMS cross-references: The SSA POMS manual DI 24583.005 explains how to “evaluate medically determinable mental impairments.” Hearing and senses are addressed in DI 33526.010 in the POMS manual.

    Want to learn more about the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)? You can read our introductory article on CFR to learn more. Links to the above rules and regulations are below in our Reference section.

How DDS Uses Your Answer (What Examiners Look For)

Your DDS examiner will review your Form-3373 answers alongside medical evidence and other SSDI forms to assess whether you can still work (your residual functional capacity). Medical evidence includes your doctor’s reports and pharmacy records. The examiner might read your answers and put in a report that you need things like written instructions, a quiet environment, extra time, no repetition, or limited public interaction. Examiners use the Blue Book listings and the POMS manual to guide them during processes and decisions. The Blue Book and POMS listings related to Questions 20(g) are listed above.

Looking at the Five-Step SSDI Process

The SSA has a five-step process to help evaluate disability claims. Form 3373 applies mostly to steps four and five in the process. These last two steps examine Residual Functional Capacity (RFC).

Here is a very brief summary of what’s reviewed during the five steps:

  1. Substantial Gainful Activity (work earnings)

  2. Severe Impairment (how severe is your disability)

  3. Meets/Equals a Listing (e.g., 12.00, 2.10–2.11 of the Blue Book)

  4. Past Relevant Work (RFC) (can you still do some tasks?)

  5. Other Work (RFC) (can you adapt to other work?)

Form 3373 can also help support Step 3 above to determine if medical evidence meets a relevant Blue Book listing. SSA RFC assessments look at what you can do despite limitations to see if you can work. Think about your disability and how your medication and health aids affect listening to spoken instructions. What can you do and when does it become difficult? What can’t you do because of your disability, medication, or health aids? How does this interfere with listening to instructions at work or at a doctor’s office?

How to Think About Your Answer (Make It Specific)

Describe how you actually experience spoken directions in daily life and work-like settings. Here are five things you can consider to help you answer the question on how well you follow spoken instructions:

A) The reason spoken directions are hard

  • Hearing-related reasons: trouble understanding words, difficulty in noisy spaces, need for repetition, reliance on lip-reading, captions, or written backup; effectiveness of hearing aids/cochlear implant.

  • Cognitive/mental reasons: losing track of multi-step directions, slow processing speed, short attention span, anxiety/ADHD, memory issues.

  • Ask yourself, WHY are spoken directions hard to follow? Is your mental or physical disability? Do you get brain fog from your medication? Do you have a loud pump or fan on a necessary piece of medical equipment?

B) Fatigue

Fatigue—whether from pain, sleep issues, depression, long-COVID, autoimmune disease, or medication side effects—can reduce attention span, processing speed, and auditory comprehension over time. Many disabled people experience fatigue from their condition and/or medication, but fatigue can be different for everyone. Think about:

  • When fatigue sets in (morning vs. afternoon).

  • How it changes performance (e.g., “after 30 minutes of conversation, I miss details unless repeated”).

  • What helps (breaks, quiet room, written steps).

C) what, when, why, how: Time and consistency across your form

To answer the question “How well do you follow spoken instructions” on the function report, think about what happens when your disability or medication interferes with your ability to absorb what you’re hearing. When does this happen? Why does it happen? What is happening around you that makes things worse? How do you deal with the circumstances?

  • Give approximate time limits (e.g., “In a quiet room I can follow short spoken instructions, but after 10–15 minutes or if several people are talking, I miss words even with hearing aids and need repetition or written notes.”)

  • Keep your time estimates consistent with answers about attention span, completing tasks, and social/phone use elsewhere on the 3373 form. For instance, a conflict might exist if you said you can’t pay attention for more than five minutes when listening to instructions, but you also stated elsewhere on your function report that you watch Gordon Ramsey recipe videos in the kitchen for twenty minutes to help you prepare dinner. If there’s a conflict you can explain, you can explain the conflict. For instance, maybe you can pay attention and read for 30 minutes if it’s quiet, but you can’t follow instructions and pay attention in a group because it’s noisy.

  • If you need someone to repeat spoken instructions, you can include the reason why and list when this is needed (e.g., ‘background noise and hearing loss’ or ‘fatigue after 20 minutes due to medication’). Simply saying “I need things repeated” is unclear. The SSDI examiner would likely want to know more. (Which could mean more time, more forms, more exams, or a denial.) Explain why and when, and check to make sure the core reason is in your medical records.

D) Typical, Good, and Bad Days (with Timing and Reliability)

Many people have a mix of good days, typical days, and bad days—especially when fatigue, pain, or medication side effects come into play. SSA and DDS examiners don’t expect you to perform exactly the same every day. But, they do look for how long you can maintain focus and how often those limits interfere with daily or work-like activities.

A helpful and clear way to describe your pattern is:

“On a typical day, I can follow short spoken directions for about ___ minutes before I need them repeated or written down. On a good day, I can stay focused for about ___ minutes before losing track. On a bad day (about ___ days per week), fatigue or pain sets in sooner, and I may only manage ___ minutes before I stop understanding what’s said.”

Including time limits and frequency makes your answer more concrete and consistent with how SSA evaluates reliability and persistence over an average workday (8 hours, 5 days a week). It also helps your DDS examiner see whether your difficulties are occasional, frequent, or constant — distinctions that matter when assessing Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) under POMS DI 24510.057.

🧭 Tip: Think about an “average week,” not just your best or worst day. If you have bad days about 2 days a week where fatigue or pain causes concentration loss after 10–15 minutes, you can mention that. If you can maintain focus for 30 minutes on good days, you can mention that. Consistent time-based details help SSA understand your real-world endurance and variability.

E) Match your medical records

If you describe problems (e.g., severe fatigue, memory problems, frequent repetition due to hearing loss) that do not appear anywhere in your medical records or audiology notes, it will raise questions. It may help to discuss ongoing symptoms with your healthcare provider so your clinical records reflect what you’re experiencing.

Doctors can’t see every problem you experience, and they might not be aware of a problem you’re having if you haven’t mentioned it in a visit. Many people think certain problems are too small to mention at a doctor’s visit, but detailed records are helpful during evaluations.

Educational note: SSA evaluates your statements together with objective medical evidence and opinions to see if you’re still able to work. It might be worth the time to compare your medical records and the listed side-effects of your medicine to your answers.

Patterns, time, and severity: Examples & Variations

  • Mild limitation: “I usually follow short verbal directions in quiet settings. If instructions are long or there’s background noise, I ask to repeat once.”

  • Moderate limitation: “I follow 1–2 step directions on an average day, but for multi-step instructions I usually need them slowed down or written, especially by afternoon when fatigue sets in.”

  • Severe limitation: “Even simple spoken instructions are hard to catch in conversation; I need written steps or captioning because I can’t hear the instructions despite repetition.”

If fatigue worsens while listening to spoken instructions, it might be explained in an answer by listing the time interval that passes until the fatigue hits, and what happens after it hits. For instance, “After 30 minutes, I often struggle to process multiple spoken steps and need breaks.”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Writing only “fine/ok” with no context.

  • Not explaining why (hearing vs. memory vs. fatigue).

  • Ignoring time and variability (good/bad/typical days).

  • Forgetting to mention aids (hearing aids, captioning apps, notes).

  • Inconsistency with other answers or with medical/audiology records.

📝 Pro Tip: SSA compares your 3373 to medical records and other forms. You can double check to make sure timing and descriptions match across forms.

When and How to Use the Remarks Section (Section E)

If you already explained your typical, good, and bad days in Question 20(g), you usually don’t need to restate that here. The Remarks section is best for short clarifications that don’t fit neatly in the answer space—for example, to connect information across questions or explain a detail that could otherwise seem inconsistent.

You can use this space to:

  • Point out that your ability to follow spoken instructions changes with other symptoms already mentioned elsewhere (like pain, hearing fluctuations, or fatigue).

  • Cross-reference other sections (“See also Question 20(f) on written instructions”) so your answers stay internally consistent.

  • Clarify an unusual situation—such as how medication timing, sleep loss, or background noise affects your concentration—without repeating the full explanation.

Keep it short and factual—one or two sentences is enough. You’re not rewriting your answer; you’re helping the DDS examiner connect the dots between your statements and the medical evidence.

Expert Insight: What Different Reviewers Notice

When your Function Report reaches Social Security, several people may review it at different stages. Each one focuses on slightly different things:

  • 🧾 DDS Examiner (Initial Review)

    • Looks for consistency across your answers, medical records, and any hearing or cognitive testing.

    • Checks whether your description of limits is realistic and steady over time, not just based on one difficult day.

    • Notes if your statements match your treatment notes and objective findings in medical reports (for example, audiology or neuropsychological testing).

  • ⚖️ Disability Attorney

    • Focuses on the overall functional pattern you describe — what makes your symptoms better or worse, and how often that happens.

    • Helps make sure your story stays internally consistent across forms, medical evidence, and hearing testimony if your case goes to appeal.

    • Values clear details that show how long you can stay focused, how dependable your performance is from day to day, and how much your symptoms change over time — the same factors SSA considers when assessing functional capacity.

  • 👩‍⚖️ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)

    • Compares your written report, medical evidence, and testimony for alignment.

    • Looks for a coherent, believable pattern that matches your Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) — that is, what you can still do on a regular, sustained basis.

    • Pays attention to how your daily activities and limitations fit the job demands discussed at the hearing.

💡 Why this matters: When your explanations are detailed, consistent, and realistic, each reviewer can understand the same story — your lived experience — through the official lens of the SSA’s process. That clarity helps the system evaluate your case fairly.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Be specific about why spoken directions are hard (hearing, cognition, fatigue, medication), and when it gets harder.

  • Include time factors (how long you can follow conversation; when fatigue sets in).

  • Note aids (hearing aids, captioning, written steps, breaks) and settings (quiet vs. noisy).

  • Describe typical, best, and worst days and how often they occur.

  • Keep your answers consistent with other form items and medical records.

FAQ: Following Spoken Instructions question on SSA Form 3373

Q1: Why does SSA ask about following spoken instructions?
A: SSA uses this question to assess your ability to understand, remember, and act on verbal directions — part of the mental functioning evaluation under 20 C.F.R. § 404.1520a. It also helps DDS determine limitations on work tasks that require verbal communication or supervision.

Q2: What role does fatigue play, and should I include it?
A: Yes — fatigue often impacts how long you can sustain focus or processing on verbal instructions. Residual functional capacity assessments must reflect your ability to perform work on a regular and continuing basis. SSA instruction POMS DI 24510.057 requires examiners to consider sustainability. Describing when fatigue kicks in, how long you can manage, and how frequently it interferes helps paint an honest picture.

Q3: How much detail should I give (time, frequency, triggers)?
A: Specific and to-the-point clear answers are easier to read, understand, process, and evaluate. Vague answers can lead to more questions. SSA values answer descriptions with time limits (e.g. “15–20 minutes before needing repetition”), frequency (e.g. “bad 2 days/week”), and context (noise, multi-step instructions, medication effects). That helps the examiner translate your everyday experience into functional capacity (a measure of how much work you can do).

Q4: If I can’t fit all this in Question 20(g), can I use the Remarks section?
A: The Remarks section at the end of Form 3373 is optional. You can use it if you need to connect details that don’t fit elsewhere or if you need to explain something that could look inconsistent across answers. For example, you might briefly mention that your ability to follow spoken instructions varies with time of day, background noise, or fatigue, or that assistive tools (like written notes or hearing devices) help you stay organized. Keep the Remarks section short and factual.

If you’d like an example of answers for a hypothetical function report (SSA-3373) for educational purposes, you can review our complete list of sample answers for an esophageal cancer function report.

References


Disclaimer

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Consult with a qualified healthcare provider for any medical concerns or questions. Consult with a licensed attorney for legal advice.

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AI Ethical Statement: This article includes information sourced from government and reputable health websites, reputable academic journals, non-profit organizations, and was generated with help from AI. A human author has substantially edited, arranged, and reviewed all content, exercising creative control over the final output. People and machines make mistakes. Please contact us if you see a correction that needs to be made.

Jacky Writes