Rude Social Security Disability Judges?

Why are disability judges so rude? While all administrative law judges (ALJs) who work for Social Security are not rude, it is true that some are. Many individuals who waited a year or longer to get to a disability hearing go the hearing only to find that the judge hearing their case is more intent on speaking condescendingly to them versus thoughtfully weighing the merits of their disability claim. This is true for unrepresented applicants in particular (those without a disability lawyer).

Why are disability judges so rude? There's no good answer for this, but in all likelihood, some judges develop biases as a result of the many cases they hear. An administrative law judge hearing Social Security disability cases may hold between ten and twenty hearings per week. Over a number of years, that may translate into thousands of cases both heard and decided. By the time a disability judge has been on the job for ten years or longer, there probably isn't a scenario or situation they haven't heard.

Over the years, your judge has had disability claimants not show up at hearings, disability claimants show up late for hearings (not a good idea since the hearings are tightly scheduled) and disability claimants showing up with no record of medical treatment for several months (understandable if the claimant no longer has health insurance, but otherwise not), and the list goes on and on. As a result, some disability judges tend to become "jaded" over time. While this doesn't justify rudeness on the part of an ALJ, a disability claimant who is intent on receiving full and fair consideration from a disability judge would be wise to take the following advice:

• Show up on time for the hearing.
• Be appropriately dressed.
• Be knowledgeable regarding your medical conditions, dates of treatment, and treatment sources (doctors and hospitals).
• Make sure the judge has received recent medical records, if they exist.

Learn more about ALJ hearings.