The Lowdown on Social Security Disability Hearings

Have you ever experienced getting your application for social security disability benefits rejected? Well, cheer up because there is still hope. Rejection of your application does not mean that you no longer have a chance to claim compensation. You can always file an appeal at the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA) of the Social Security Administration (SSA).

By appealing your claim, you can look forward to having a reversal of your rejection. The statistics could be on your side as over fifty percent of claims appeals have been overturned by judges deciding on the case.

The filing of an appeal in the OHA is just one of the various elements that comprise the settlement of the disability claim. Its function is quite different from the other aspects of the process. The hearing of the appeal is unique from other parts of the application because of the following reasons:

• As soon as the social security disability claim has been transmitted from the local SS agency to the OHA, your case may be delayed for at least a year or more than that while the date of hearing is being scheduled.


• During the waiting period, you may not hear anything about the status of your case in the OHA.


• The notices or letters that you can expect to receive from the office are:
  
  
  • A letter acknowledging that your request for hearing was already received by them
  
  
  • Letter of appointment informing you of the date of your hearing
  
  
  • A notice informing you of the decision of the judge after your claim was heard. The decision could be among the three: fully favorable, partially favorable, or unfavorable.

There are times when the OHA would request for an exhibit list, which consists of documents or information indicated in your application file.

The first thing that you need to know about social security disability hearings is that, compared to others, they are short which may run from 15 minutes to one hour.

In addition, the venue where the hearing would be conducted would be determined by the distance between your place of residence and the OHA. In some instances, a bank, hotel, conference room, or other venues could be set as the venue for the hearing so that you would not have to travel to the office especially if you live far.

While you can always invoke your right to appeal a disability claim, you can always free yourself from the hassle of attending a hearing by playing your cards right during the application process. You can consult an SSD lawyer who will assist you in ensuring that your claim will be approved without undergoing the appeal stage.