What will happen at my SSDI disability hearing?

Assuming your request for reconsideration is denied by the state disability agency, a disability applicant’s next step is to file Form HA-501 from the Social Security Administration and request a disability hearing before an ALJ, or Administrative Law Judge. During the disability hearing before the ALJ, a disability applicant stands his or her best chance (at least statistically, based on figures released from the SSA) of having his or her initially denied application for benefits overturned.

Depending on how an applicant plans to appeal the initial claim denial, the appeals hearing before the ALJ will involve the following:

• Hearings are generally informal in nature, meaning they can occur at any number of locations (closed doors, keeping information private from outsiders) and do not adhere to any formal standards of law regarding introduction of evidence or even conduct by parties involved.

• Wherever the hearing is located, it is advisable to show up on time and prepare to make a viable appeal of your original claim. The timeline of the appeals hearing can last from fifteen minutes to over an hour, depending on the amount of new evidence and claims an applicant plans to introduce.

• It is possible to bring expert witnesses forward in one’s behalf, as well as to introduce statements or testimony from one’s employers or other credible professionals with insight into the nature of one’s disability and substantial gainful activity abilities.

• Having legal counsel before and during this process greatly increases the likelihood of receiving an overturned decision on the originally denied initial claim.

If the disability hearing does not return a decision in your favor, applicants for disability benefits still have options to file appeals through a hearing with the Appeals Council, and as a last resort, by appealing to the U.S. district courts. For more information about your specific disability case, including information on how to appeal the initial claims denial and how to handle the hearing before an ALJ, consult with a disability lawyer in your state of residence today.