This information may help claimants with representation, as well as claimants who are not represented by an attorney or non attorney representative. Understanding how the Social Security Disability system works can make the difference between winning or not winning the continuing disability benefits and backpay to which a person is entitled. To win a claim for ongoing and past due benefits, claimants should learn about the disability process to improve their chances of winning. |
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How long will it take for a judge's decision, and how long before benefits start? Unfortunately, it's more frequently the case that a disability claimant will be forced to wait a year or longer to get a hearing before an ALJ (though this may vary considerably based on where you live). How long will it take to get a decision from a judge once you've already had your disability hearing? Well, though it's not comforting to say this, that may be anyone's guess. If you're represented, the person handling your case may have a fairly good handle on how long a particular judge normally takes to get a decision out. But even then it is just guesswork. At one hearing office, to cite an example, the commonly stated estimate (stated by the hearing office, that is) is that an ALJ's decision will take approximately six weeks to receive. Unfortunately, this estimate and reality are ofen far apart from each other. If you really want to get a handle on how long your hearing decision will take, simply call the hearing office and speak with a staff member. Just keep this in mind: anything they tell you should be ingested with several grains of salt. Regarding how long your benefits will take to commence...this is even more nebulous. If you are approved for benefits, your file will be sent by the Office of Hearings and Appeals to a payment processing center. There, your monthly benefits will be calculated, as well as the back payment you are due. How long a case stays at a payment center is a wild card variable and is entirely dependent on the workload that a payment center has to deal with. However, having said this, some claimants actually receive their benefits on time, as indicated by their notice of award letter (this is the document that spells out a claimant's benefit amounts as well as the delivery date for benefit receipt). And some claimants will even find that a large backpayment has been deposited to a checking account before a notice of award letter has even been received. In any event, though, claimants who do not receive their benefits according to the distribution date cited in their notice of award should contact their local social security office, where a claims representative may be asked to followup on the the status of their payments. Disability Advocates Help with Claims Free Case Evaluation |
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SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY ATTORNEY, REPRESENTATIVE LAWYER LIST ANSWERS TO YOUR SSD & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 3 ANSWERS TO YOUR SSD & SSI QUESTIONS PAGE 4 |
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If you suffer from a medical disability such as hip, neck, shoulder, ankle, wrist, back, or other joint problems, disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, rsi or repetetive stress injury, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, dysthymia, depression or other mood disorders, congestive or chronic heart failure, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, diabetic neuropathy, high blood pressure (hypertension), seizure disorder, stroke, copd, emphysema, hearing loss or poor hearing, statutory blindness, peripheral field problems or other vision loss, clinical obesity, attention deficit hyperactivity or, simply, adhd, bipolar disorder or manic depression, panic disorder, schizophrenia, autism, head trauma, memory loss, low iq, mental retardation, learning disability, epilepsy, cancer, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, lupus, anxiety, inner ear problems, meniere's, vertigo or dizziness, kidney failure requiring dialysis or other renal problems, cirrhosis, hepatitis, or other liver disease, pancreatitis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, rsd or reflex sympathetic dystrophy, crohn's disease, sarcoidosis, peripheral vascular disease, lyme disease, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, hiv, aids, anemia, sickle cell, thyroid problems including hypothyroidism, esrd or end stage renal disease, reflux, gerd (gastroesophageal reflux disease), cfids, muscular dystrophy, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, or tachycardia, bradycardia or other arrhythmia and have initiated or been denied on a social security disability, or ssi, claim for benefits, this site may assist you with your case. Social Security Disability benefits are often difficult to win; however many claims for social security disability are lost simply because a claimant did not know enough about the disability process to their social security or ssi claim. For information re: representation on a social security disability or ssi claim (attorney or non attorney representative), see the "questions" & "how" pages. |
| Social Security Disability What if social security wants me to go one of their doctors ? |