While Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are administered by the federal government according to federal law, in New York State, there are differences in the approval rates and in the amounts of the SSI monthly payment. Whether you've filed a disability claim in New York or you're about to file a claim with Social Security and you live in New York, here are some answers to questions you may be asking.
You can file for disability by visiting a local field office, calling the Social Security call center, or by going online.
Local field office. There are 126 Social Security field offices in Social Security's New York Region. To find the one nearest you, use Social Security's field office locator.
Calling Social Security. You can call Social Security from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 800-772-1213. Those who are deaf or hearing impaired can call 800-325-0778. You can speak to a representative or schedule an appointment to file a disability application by calling this number.
Applying online. If you're filing for SSDI, you can complete the whole application online at www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/.
If you file for Social Security or SSI disability benefits and your application is denied, you'll need to appeal. In 2019, a new step was added to the beginning of the appeals process in New York, called reconsideration. Now, after getting a denial from the Division of Disability Determinations (DDD), the stage agency in New York that processes disability claims, you have to first request that the DDD reconsider its decision.
If you receive a denial at the reconsideration stage, you can then request a hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ).
New Yorkers have a slightly better chance of getting approved for disability benefits than other Americans, at every stage of the process. In 2021, at the initial application stage, the approval rate for initial disability applications in New York was 37%. The approval rate at the reconsideration stage was 15%.
At the appeal hearing level, in the 2021/2022 year, ALJs approved 58% of cases and denied 42%. (Nationally, only 51% of cases were approved during the same time period.)
| Stage of Application |
New York |
Nationally |
|
Initial Application |
37% |
36% |
|
Reconsideration Review |
15% |
13% |
|
Appeal Hearing |
58% |
45% |
The average wait time for a disability hearing in New York is 9 months, down from 19 months in 2020.
The state of New York pays a supplemental payment to those receiving SSI from the federal government. For example, for a single person living alone, the federal government typically pays $841 per month and New York pays an additional $87.
The supplemental amount varies depending on how much income you have, whether you live with others, whether you're married, whether your spouse receives SSI benefits as well, and whether you live in a nursing home, group home, or assisted living situation. The county or borough where you reside may also affect the amount you receive from the state of New York.
Here's a chart of the combined federal and state payment for a single person without any countable income.
|
Your Living Situation |
Monthly Payment |
|
Living by yourself |
$1,001 |
|
Living with others and paying your own expenses |
$937 |
|
Living in someone else's household and getting their help with expenses |
$632.34 |
|
Living with your spouse who also receives SSI |
$1,475 |
|
Living with your spouse who also receives SSI, and with others, and paying your own expenses |
$1,417 |
|
Living with your spouse who also receives SSI in someone else's household and getting their help with expenses |
$960 |
|
Living in long-term health facility (State Supplemental Personal Needs Allowance) |
$25 |
|
Living in hospital (State Supplemental Personal Needs Allowance) |
$5 |
You apply for the supplemental payment through NY's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA).
You'll likely want to submit your recent medical records to the SSA yourself. New York allows doctors and other medical professionals to charge a reasonable fee for medical records (up to 75¢ per page). But your doctor can't deny you your medical records because you're unable to pay for them.
Here is the contact information for all of the disability determination and hearing office locations in New York.
If your disability application doesn't receive a technical denial at the Social Security field office, it will be sent to the Division of Disability Determinations (DDD), a state agency with various locations in New York, to be evaluated for medical disability. These offices handle your initial application and the reconsideration, if you get denied.
If you don't receive a letter from DDD within a month or two of applying, you can call the toll-free DDD number for the New York Region at 800-522-5511 to find out to which office your case was sent. Here is the contact information for the four DDD locations in New York.
Disability Determination Services
P.O. Box 165
Albany, NY 12260-0165
518-473-9320
Division of Disability Determinations
PO Box 5191
Bowling Green Station, NY 10274-5191
212-240-3456
Office of Disability Determination Services
P.O. Box 5030
Buffalo, NY 14205-5030
716-847-5007
Division of Disability Determinations
P.O. Box 9009
Endicott, NY 13761-9009
607-741-4195
Hearings are held at an Office of Hearing Operations (OHO). OHO's Regional Headquarters for New York State is located in New York, at the following address:
New York Regional Office SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
Room 34-116
26 Federal Plaza
New York, New York 10278
Telephone: (212) 264-4036
Fax:(833) 631-1019
There are ten different OHO offices throughout New York State. Below is the contact information for each office.
Albany Hearings Office
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
2nd Floor
12 Corporate Woods Boulevard
Albany, NY 12211
Telephone: (866) 643-3035
Fax: (833) 659-0413
Covers the following field offices: Albany, Hudson, Gloversville, Plattsburgh, Queensbury, Schenectady, Troy, and Oneonta
Bronx Hearings Office
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
2nd Floor, Suite 200
East 161st Street
Bronx, New York 10451
Telephone: (866) 563-9573
Fax: (833) 632-0077
Covers the following field offices: All Bronx offices, Hunts Point, Laconia Avenue, and West Farms
Buffalo Hearings Office
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
2nd Floor
130 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14202
Telephone: (866) 348-5819
Fax: (833) 632-0071
Covers the following field offices: Batavia, Buffalo, Dunkirk, Jamestown, Niagara Falls, Olean, and Ridge Road
Jersey City Hearings Office
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
Second Floor
325 West Side Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07305
Telephone: (877) 773-7451
Fax: (833) 721-0877
Covers the following NY field offices: Hylan Boulevard and Staten Island
Long Island Hearings Office
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
730 Federal Plaza
Central Islip, NY 11722
Telephone: (866) 931-4494
Fax: (833) 359-0115
Covers the following field offices: Freeport, Melville, Mineola, Patchogue, Riverhead, and West Babylon
New York Hearings Office
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
Room 2909
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278-0035
Telephone: (877) 405-6744
Fax: (833) 985-2296
Covers the following field offices: Bedford Heights, Brooklyn New Utrecht, Downtown East Harlem, East Village, Midtown, Uptown, and Washington Heights
New York Varick Hearings Office
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
3rd Floor, Room 315
201 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014-9998
Telephone: (866) 964-9971
Fax: (833) 359-0113
Covers the following field offices: Boro Hall, Brooklyn Flatbush, Brooklyn Bushwick, and Canarsie
Queens Hearings Office
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
Joseph P Addabbo Federal Building
155-10 Jamaica Avenue, 2nd Floor
Jamaica, NY 11432
Telephone: (866) 931-6092
Fax: (833) 632-0075
Covers the following field offices: Cypress Hill, Far Rockaway, Flushing, Jamaica, Long Island City, and Rego Park
Rochester Hearings Office
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
U.S. Federal Building, Room 4140
100 State Street
Rochester, NY 14614
Telephone: (866) 331-3271
Fax: (833) 511-0339
Covers the following field offices: Geneva, Greece, and Rochester
Syracuse Hearings Office
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
5th Floor
300 S. State Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
Telephone: (888) 655-6477
Fax: (833) 779-0462
Covers the following field offices: Binghamton, Corning, Elmira, Ithaca, Ogdensburg, Oswego, Syracuse, Utica, and Watertown
White Plains Hearings Office
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
Suite 202
75 South Broadway
White Plains, NY 10601
Telephone: (877) 691-6146
Fax: (833) 563-0489
Covers the following field offices: Monticello, New Rochelle, Newburgh, Peekskill, Poughkeepsie, West Nyack, White Plains, and Yonkers
If you're interested in free job retraining, contact New York's vocational rehabilitation services in Albany.
New York State Education Department
Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services - Vocational Rehabilitation
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
800-222-JOBS
The State of New York provides up to six months of paid disability benefits to qualified employees through its temporary disability benefits (DB) law. Benefits are limited to 50% of average weekly wages. For more information, see our article on New York's short-term disability (DB) program.
Updated February 2, 2023
Need a lawyer? Start here.