Activities of daily living (ADL) are the basic routine tasks that most individuals are able to perform without any assistance. The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) usually asks claimants applying for disability benefits to complete an ADL questionnaire in order to assess how the claimant's disability affects their daily life.
The SSA provides disability benefits only when an individual suffers from total disability. That is when the person cannot perform any work that classifies as substantial gainful activity. The ADL questionnaire provided by the SSA asks an individual simple questions related to their daily life, schedule, how their medical condition affects their daily tasks, etc. This questionnaire helps the SSA to determine if the individual is eligible to receive disability benefits.