🚀 go-pugleaf

I've just been handed a problem and this inquiry is one of my first steps.

The SSA uses various PDF forms. The forms contain user enterable fields, to be filled in through Acrobat Reader. Starting January 1, SSA will only accept certain requests via these new forms.

The difficulty is that my client cannot enter anything into the forms. They remain completely inert. I have downloaded a number of the forms they consider most important to their work and find the complaint to be true.

I have Reader version 6 on my Win98 system. A warning message is displayed when I open some of the forms, telling me that the form might not work with my old version of Reader. Other, older, forms do not initiate any such warning, but they are also unusable. The client believes that the now current version of Reader is on all their machines, so there should be not be forward incompatibly problems with any forms.

This being the time of the year that it is (nothing like waiting until the last minute, no?), I have not been able to investigate their PCs nor discuss the problems in detail with anyone. I was told that they have made several contacts with SSA and no one there could suggest any reason for the difficulties, nor any possible solution. This might be due to the simple fact that they never have got further than a general office clerk at SSA, but I don't have much information yet.

I have looked at some instructions for using Adobe Acrobat professional, but I know only the basics about creating PDF forms with user enterable fields. I don't know what SSA might have done to keep some people from using the forms. Looking at Document Properties, Security, on these particular forms, I read that Filling of form fields is allowed, and I see nothing to indicate there might be restrictions. I need some suggestions about what else to investigate.

Several forms that can be downloaded from the SSA website @ www.ssa.gov
501, 561, 1696, 1560
The first two of these issue the warning message (about my version of reader not being current enough) upon opening them in Reader, the last two do not.

Other, non-SSA, PDF forms do not have this problem, so I know this isn't a simple problem of ignorance on how to enter data into enabled forms.