What Is the Social Security District Office?

The Social Security district office (also known as the DO, field office, or FO) is the local Social Security office where you file an application, or appeal, for Social Security (SSD) or SSI disability benefits. The district office does not process medical evaluations for disability claims; this is done by a disability claims examiner at Disability Determination Services (DDS). However, a claim representative at the district office is able to deny your claim without sending it on to DDS for one of several technical reasons. If you are working above the substantial gainful activity limit (SGA), or you aren't financially or legally eligible for SSD or SSI, the district office can issue you a technical denial.

At some point, all claims are returned from DDS to the district offices from which they originate. If your claim was denied, the district office will send you a notice of denial. 

If your claim was approved, your claims representative at the district office will again check to make sure you are still eligible for SSD or SSI (for example, that your income doesn't exceed Social Security's limits). Then, it is the district office's responsibility to make sure that your monthly benefits and past due benefits (backpay) are expeditiously put on track on processing. In the case of SSI claims, the claims rep at the district office will directly handle your benefit distribution. In the case of SSD claims, cases are sent to payment processing centers, often located out of state, for this purpose.