Form SSA 3288: A Guide to Information Release
If you’re trying to provide detailed information or information about yourself contained in your Social Security records to a third party, you may need to complete Form SSA 3288. This in-depth article will walk you through:
- What Form SSA 3288 is used for
- Step-by-step instructions on how to complete the form
- Important information contained in the form that you should be aware of
- Commonly asked questions about Form SSA 3288
Let’s start with step by step instructions for completing Form SSA 3288.
Contents
Table of contents
How do I complete Form SSA 3288?
The SSA’s website contains step by step instructions on how to complete this form. However, we’ll break this down right here.
Let’s start at the top
Below is the top of the form, where you will provide the following information:
- Your full name
- Date of birth
- Social Security Number
- Name and address of the person or organization whom you are authorizing to receive this information
- Reasons for releasing this information
If you are completing this form on behalf of a minor child, please enter the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of the person whose information you’re releasing.
Please note that the SSA may charge a fee to release information for non-program purposes. Please note that the entire section has an asterisk, noting required fields.
Information to be released
This section is where you select the information that the SSA can release. This can include:
- SSN verification
- Supplemental Security Income payment amounts
- Current Social Security Benefit amount
- Amount of your monthly disability benefits
- Medicare eligibility information
Signature field
The last thing you need to do is to sign in the signature field. But you should note that your signature indicates that this is accurate information to the best of your ability under penalty of perjury.
This field will also contain the date, address, and daytime telephone number of the person completing the form.
What do I need to know about Form SSA 3288?
Before completing the form, there are a couple of things the SSA wants you to know.
You must complete all required fields.
The form contains an asterisk next to each required field. However, the SSA will not release the requested information unless each of the required fields is completed.
No ‘blanket requests’ for the entire file are allowed
Form 3288 is intended as a consent form to authorize the release of specifically requested personal information. Since the SSA is still responsible for protecting your sensitive information, blanket requests will not be honored.
Federal regulations apply
There are two sections that you will always see on SSA forms, based upon federal laws that apply.
Privacy Act Information
As part of the Social Security Act, this form authorizes information collection at the request of the applicant. The Privacy Act authorizes certain routine uses of information, such as:
- Helping determine eligibility for Social Security benefits
- Helping determine eligibility for similar programs provided by federal, state, or local government agencies
- To comply with federal laws as applicable
- To facilitate statistical research as needed to ensure the integrity of Social Security programs
The other federal law that applies is the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
The most important part of this section is the time estimate. The SSA estimates that it should take the average person about 3 minutes to complete this form.
Video walkthrough
Frequently asked questions
Here are some common questions that people have asked about Form SSA-3288.
According to the form instructions, you should bring the completed form to your local Social Security office. The SSA website also states that you can send the completed form by mail, fax, or email. However, the form must contain a legible, physical signature.
Yes. You may download a Spanish version of Form SSA-3288 at the SSA website.
Form SSA 3288, Consent For Release of Information, is the form to allow the Social Security Administration to release specific information or records about yourself, a minor child, or legally incompetent adult to another individual or organization. For example, if you need to release your medical records to your doctor or insurance company, a signed SSA-3288 would authorize the release of medical records from Social Security Administration to that provider.
There are two things you cannot use Form SSA-3288 to release: a child’s medical records, and detailed earnings history. If you are the parent or legal guardian of a minor child, you may only use Form 3288 to release the minor’s non-medical records. For releasing a minor child’s medical records, you should make an in-person request at your local Social Security office or call the toll-free number: (800) 772-1213. If you are trying to obtain records of earnings related to your work history or employment history, you are encouraged to complete and mail Form SSA-7050-F. You can obtain the latest version of the form from your local SSA office or through the SSA’s website.
Where can I find Form SSA-3288?
You may find this Social Security form on the SSA website. For your convenience, we’ve enclosed the latest version here.
