I cannot remember all the jobs I have had in the past 15 years. My last job lasted almost 5 years and the job before that almost 2 years, but I had a period of time that lasted 4 years right before that when I was temping and doing a few independent contractor jobs. I cannot remember all of them!

I know a Detailed Earnings Report is available from SSA, but it says you have to wait up to four months to receive it! I don't have that much time since I am scheduled to meet with SSA in my local field office next week to put in my initial claim for SSDI.

Has anybody ordered this report? If so, how long did it take you to get it?

I have done basically the same kind of work/job title for the past 15 years, just many different places.

Advice I've read elsewhere says it's very important to know the amount of time for short-term jobs (lasting under 6 months), as those will "not count" when SSA is determining my past jobs and whether I can do them again.

I am filing for SSDI partially for mental disabilities (bipolar). I have been fired or my temp jobs were ended prematurely several times for acting out and inability to get along with supervisors and others because often when I am in a manic state I am irritable, moody and angry. (My manic states are generally not the euphoric, happy kind.) These occasional firings have happened my whole life, not just the last 15 years, even before I knew I was bipolar. So I think it would be important to highlight this. I can remember some names of places/clients I got fired from in the last 15 years, but not all the details of exactly when I worked there and sometimes not the temp agency (my employer of record) that I was working for. My last two long-term jobs did not end like this (one the employer went bankrupt and two I was laid off), but I have had two unsuccessful work attempts with temporary jobs after my last 5 year job ended where the problem again surfaced.

I know when I receive the form to detail all my work experience, they generally give you only 10 days to fill it out. Would the field office worker I am going to see next week or the DDS worker I am eventually assigned to have access to my detailed earnings query so (a) the field office worker can refresh my memory when I see them or (b) the DDS worker can "see" all the jobs I had worked at without me getting this form?

If I don't get the form in time and they cannot see this information and help me, can anyone give me suggestions for trying to fill out this work report form? Has anyone been in this situation where they couldn't remember ALL the jobs in the past 15 years? If so, how did you handle it? TIA!