Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are federal programs, but the approval and denial rates, as well as how long a claim takes to be decided, differ in Maryland. This article discusses these differences, along with:
Disability Determination Services (DDS), the state agency that decides initial Social Security disability applications in Maryland, approves 39% of disability claims at the initial application level, and 15% at the reconsideration review (the first level of appeal).
If you're denied at the first level of appeal, the next step is to request an appeal hearing. In Maryland, it takes, on average, 11 months from the time the Request for Hearing is filed to the date the case is decided by an ALJ.
Social Security administrative law judges (ALJs) in the Baltimore, Maryland hearing office awarded benefits in 63% of the cases they heard in 2021-2022, an approval rate that's much higher than the national average. Some appeal hearings for Maryland claimants, however, are heard in the D.C. hearing office, which has a lower rate of approval (50%), and in the Dover and Charlottesville offices as well, which also have lower rates of approval (57% and 49%, respectively).
Stage of Application |
Maryland |
Nationally |
Initial Application Approval Rate |
39% |
36% |
Reconsideration Approval Rate |
15% |
13% |
Appeal Hearing Approval Rate |
63% |
51% |
Hearing Wait Time |
11 months |
10 months |
The federal government funds most of the SSI payment ($841 for individuals and $1,261 for couples where both spouses are eligible for SSI).
Maryland also provides a generous supplement to the federal SSI benefit amount for recipients who live in care homes or assisted living facilities. The maximum subsidy, called the Senior Assisted Living Subsidy, is $650 per month and is paid directly to the provider or facility. For more information, visit the page for the Senior Assisted Living Subsidy.
SSI recipients in Maryland may also be eligible for Temporary Cash Assistance (TC), Temporary Disability Assistance (TDAP), or other state services. For more information, visit Maryland's Department of Human Services website.
Maryland law places a limit on how much a doctor's office or hospital can charge you for your medical records. Medical providers can charge a fee of $0.76 per page, plus the actual cost of postage. If the records are sent to another provider, an additional fee of $22.88 for preparation may be charged. However, if the records are given directly to you, the provider can't charge a preparation fee.
The Department of Rehabilitative Services (DORS) administers Maryland's Disability Determination Services (DDS). The contact information for DDS is:
211 Schilling Circle
Hunt Valley, MD 21031
Phone: (410) 308-4500
Toll-free: (800) 492-4283
[email protected]
Maryland's main hearing office (the Office of Hearings Operations, or OHO) is located in Baltimore, although offices in Washington, D.C., Dover, and Charlottesville are used by the state as well. Each OHO office schedules and conducts the hearings for claims coming from its field offices and manages the case file once it gets to the hearing level.
Baltimore OHO
The Symphony Center, Room 300
1010 Park Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-5600
Phone: (866) 613-3960
Fax: (833) 710-0399
Serves the following Social Security field offices: Abingdon, Annapolis, Baltimore (Downtown, West, Glen Burnie, Northeast, Rossville, and Wabash), Columbia, Elkton, Frederick, Hagerstown, Owings Mills, Towson, Westminster, and Winchester
Washington, D.C. OHO
1227 25th Street N.W., 3rd Floor
Washington, D.C. 20037
Phone: (866) 414-6259
Fax: (833) 949-2152
Serves the Camp Springs, Greenbelt, Rockville, and Silver Spring field offices
Charlottesville, Virginia OHO
1470 Pantops Mountain Place, 2nd Floor
Charlottesville, VA 22911
Phone: (866) 613-2969
Fax: (833) 659-0418
Serves the Cumberland field office
Dover, Delaware OHO
Blue Hen Corporate Center
655 S. Bay Road, Suite 3i
Dover, DE 19901
Phone: (877) 405-3671
Fax: (833) 414-0625
Serves the Cambridge field office
Maryland offers rehabilitation services through its Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS). DORS assists disabled individuals with job training and job placement and life skills. DORS also works with the SSA to determine eligibility for SSI and SSDI. For more information, visit the DORS website.
Updated May 19, 2022
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