Filing for Disability in Minnesota

If you live in Minnesota and are unable to work due to illness or injury, you may be considering applying for Social Security disability benefits. Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are federal benefits, but there is some information specific to applying for Social Security in Minnesota that you should know.

How Do I File for Disability in Minnesota?

There are multiple ways you can apply for Social Security disability in Minnesota. You can:

• Apply in person at a Social Security Administration (SSA) field office (the SSA's office locator can help you find the Social Security office location closest to you).
• Telephone the SSA's customer service line at (800) 772-1213. You can make an appointment to apply for disability in person at a Minnesota field office or by phone.
• Go to the SSA's website to complete SSDI's SSDI's online application or start SSI's online application.

How Do I Appeal a Denial of Benefits in Minnesota?

Approximately three or five months after you apply for disability in Minnesota, you'll be notified by mail whether you've been approved for benefits or if your claim has been denied. A full 42% of Minnesota's disability applicants are approved after their initial application is reviewed. But if you're among those denied benefits, you can appeal this decision.

Request for Reconsideration

The first appeal in Minnesota is called a "Request for Reconsideration." You have 60 days from the date you receive your disability denial letter to submit the "Request for Reconsideration" form to the SSA. It will take an average of three to four months for your reconsideration decision to be made. In Minnesota, 11% of disability claims are approved after reconsideration.

Minnesota Disability Hearings

If your reconsideration results in a second disability denial, you can then request a hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ). In Minnesota, the average wait between the date a disability hearing is requested and when it takes place is 7 months. You'll be notified of the judge's decision within 30 days of your hearing. Around 51% of Minnesota Social Security disability hearings result in the claimant being awarded benefits.

How Much Is the SSI Supplement in Minnesota?

If you receive SSI and live in Minnesota, you could be eligible for an additional monthly payment from the State of Minnesota. The amount of this supplement, which is called Minnesota Supplemental Aid, or MSA, varies depending on your living arrangements.

An SSI recipient in Minnesota who lives independently will receive an MSA supplement of $81. If a person resides in a care setting, the amount is also $81.

A couple who receives SSI and lives independently will get a $111 MSA supplement.

Minnesota's Welfare and Human Services Agencies administer these payments under the Minnesota Supplemental Aid Program and the Group Residential Housing Program.

Where Is Minnesota's Disability Determination Office?

Minnesota Disability Determination Services (DDS) is the state agency responsible for making decisions on Minnesota Social Security disability claims. DDS is operated by the Minnesota Department of Economic Security. At the Minnesota DDS, claims adjudicators work with medical professionals to determine whether disability applicants are eligible for benefits. Here is the agency's contact information.

Minnesota Disability Determination Services
P.O. Box 64709
St. Paul, MN 55164
Phone: 651-259-7700
Fax: 800-937-6469

Where Is Minnesota's Hearing Office?

Social Security disability hearings for Minnesota residents are held at the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) in Minneapolis. (This office was formerly called the Office of Disability Adjudication & Review, or ODAR.) Contact information for the Minneapolis OHO is below.

Office of Hearings Operations
250 Marquette Ave., Suite 300
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Phone: (877) 512-3856
Fax: (833) 619-0551

This office services the Social Security field offices in Austin, Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Duluth, Fairmont, Hibbing, Mankato, Minneapolis, Rochester, St. Cloud, St. Paul, and Winona.

Minneapolis Vocational Rehabilitation

Disabled workers in Minnesota can consult the Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Services Unit through the Department of Employment and Economic Development to access a variety of programs designed to help those with disabilities return to and hold onto employment. The Minnesota VRS can be reached at (651) 259-7366 or [email protected]. More information regarding VRS programs is available also on the DEED website.

_{Updated on August 12, 2022}