On the SSA-3288 how should you answer the question "I want this information released because" so as not to incur charges or delays?

For the SSA-3288, SSA will not charge a fee if the request is related to "program purposes" (i.e. related to one of the programs administered by SSA, such as SSI or SSDI). For instance, a reason related to program purposes may be help with an SSI/SSDI application for benefits. You could also add if the applicant is experiencing homelessness, as that might expedite the processing of the request (though faster processing isn’t guaranteed).