The SSI appeal time can be a lengthy one. As the number of disability claims increases so, too, does the average time it takes to process an SSI appeal to completion. The length of time it takes for an SSI appeal is dramatically affected by what appeal level the SSI claim is at.
What do I mean by what appeal level? Social Security has a four level appeal process: reconsideration, administrative law judge hearing, appeals council review, and Federal court. However, most individuals are only involved in reconsiderations and administrative law judge hearings.
Most individuals are forced into the Social Security disability appeals process if they wish to pursue their disability claim beyond the initial level, because more than sixty percent of all initial disability claims are denied for one reason or another.
The first level of SSI appeal is known as a reconsideration request. This appeal involves the claimant completing and returning a minimal amount of paperwork to update medical and work information. Once Social Security receives the complete request for reconsideration they forward it back down to the state agency responsible for the initial disability determination. Generally, reconsiderations take less time than initial claims because they are just a review of the initial claim (along with updated information).
Although reconsideration wait times can be as short as thirty days or longer than six months, I would say an average reconsideration wait time is between thirty and sixty days. If your SSI appeal is approved at this point you will not be forced to an administrative law judge hearing, thus you will be spared the appeal level that is the most time consuming.
What makes the wait time for an administrative law judge so long? The factor that makes the administrative law judge hearing appeal so lengthy is the time it takes to schedule for the disability hearing. Most hearings offices across the nation have large backlogs of hearings, consequently depending upon where you live you may have a six month wait or even a twenty- four month wait for your administrative law judge hearing.
There is no average time for a SSI appeal because wait times vary for many reasons including which hearing office has jurisdiction of your disability claim and what level of the Social Security disability appeals process your claim is at.
