Filing for Disability in New York: Social Security and SSI

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 a few 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 things you should know.

How to File a Disability Application in New York

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 7am to 7pm, Monday through Friday at 800-772-1213. Those who are deaf or hearing impaired may 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 (not SSI), you can apply online at www.ssa.gov/pgm/disability.htm.

New York Disability Appeals Process

If you file for Social Security or SSI disability benefits and your application is denied, you'll need to appeal. A new step was added to the beginning of the appeals process in New York in January 2019, called reconsideration. Now, after getting a denial from the Division of Disability Determinations (DDD), you have to request that the 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 York Disability Statistics

In 2018/2019, at the initial application stage, the approval rate for initial disability applications was 39%. The approval rate at the reconsideration stage for the first part of 2019 was 15%.

At the appeal hearing level, in the 2018/2019 year, ALJs approved 60% of cases and denied 40%. (Nationally, only 46% of cases were approved during the same time period.)

The average wait time for a disability hearing in New York is 19 months.

New York State Supplemental Payment for SSI

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 $771 per month and New York pays an additional $87.) However, this amount varies depending on how much income you have, whether you live with others, whether you are 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.

You apply for the supplemental payment through NY's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA).

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	$858
Living with others and paying your own expenses	$794
Living in someone else's household and getting their help with expenses	$537
Living with your spouse who receives SSI	$1,261
Living with your spouse who receives SSI and others and paying your own expenses	$1,203
Living with your spouse who receives SSI in someone else's household and getting their help with expenses	$817
Living in long-term health facility (State Supplemental Personal Needs Allowance)	$55
Living in hospital (State Supplemental Personal Needs Allowance)	$35

Medical Record Fees Limit in New York

With regards to obtaining medical records to submit with your disability application, New York allows doctors and other medical professionals to charge a reasonable fee for medical records. However, the charge may not exceed 75¢ per page. Additionally, your doctor cannot deny you your medical records because you are unable to pay for them.

Contact Information

Here is contact information for all of the disability determination and hearing office locations in New York.

New York DDD Locations

If your disability application does't receive a technical denial at the 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. 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 contact information for the four DDD locations in New York.

Division of Disability Determinations
P.O. Box 165
Albany, New York 12260-0165
800-522-5511

Division of Disability Determinations
22 Cortlandt Street
New York, New York 10007
212-240-3456

Office of Disability Determination Services
P.O. Box 5030
Buffalo, New York 14205-5030
716-847-5007

Division of Disability Determinations
P.O. Box 9009
Endicott, New York 13761-9009
607-741-4195

New York Hearing Offices

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: (212) 264-1519

There are ten different OHO offices throughout New York State. Below is the contact information for each office.

Albany

SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
6th Floor
74 North Pearl Street
Albany, New York 12207-2211
Telephone: (866) 862-7348
Fax: (518) 462-1933

Covers the following field offices: Albany, Hudson, Glens Falls, Gloversville, Kingston, Plattsburgh, Poughkeepsie, Schenectady, Troy, Oneonta

Bronx

SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
2nd Floor, Suite 4226
East 161st Street
Bronx, New York 10451
Telephone: (718) 537-4958
Fax: (718) 590-1673

Covers the following field offices: East Bronx, Baychester, North Bronx, West Farms, South Bronx, Hunts Point, Bronx Hub, Riverdale

Brooklyn
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
18th Floor
111 Livingston Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201-9238
Telephone: (718) 330-7861
Fax: (718) 330-2009

Covers the following field offices: Brooklyn, Avenue X, Boro Hall, Bay Ridge, Canarsie, Flatbush, Kings Plaza, Cypress Hills, Glendale, Crown Heights, Zip Code 11208

Buffalo
SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
50 Fountain Plaza, Suite 200
Buffalo, New York 11753
Telephone: (716) 551-4711
Fax: (716) 551-4078

Covers the following field offices: Batavia, Buffalo, West Seneca, Cheektowaga, Jamestown, Dunkirk, Greece, Niagara Falls, Olean, Rochester

Jericho

SSA, Office of Hearing Operations

3rd Floor
375 North Broadway
Jericho, New York 11753
Telephone: (516) 942-0244
Fax: (516) 942-0353

Covers the following field offices: Freeport, Long Beach, Melville, West Babylon, Mineola, Patchogue, Riverhead

New York

SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
Room 2909
26 Federal Plaza
New York, New York 10278-0035
Telephone: (212) 264-8819
Fax: (212) 264-8633

Covers the following field offices: Downtown, Chinatown, Delancey Street, Murray Hill, Tompkins Park, Midtown, Lenox Hill, Staten Island, New Dorp, Uptown, East Harlem, North Harlem, Washington Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bushwick, Williamsburg, East New York

Queens

SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
Joseph P. Addabo Federal Building
155-10 Jamaica Avenue, 2nd Floor
Jamaica, NY 11431

Mailing address: Office of Disability Adjudication and Review
Joseph P. Addabo Federal Building
P.O. Box 319300
Jamaica, NY 11431
Telephone: (718) 557-6530
Fax: (718) 557-6575

Covers the following field offices: Flushing, Jackson Heights, Astoria, Long Island City, Jamaica, Far Rockaway, Glendale, Cypress Hills- Zip Codes 11414, 11416, 11417, 11418, 11419, 11420 and 11421, Ridgewood- Zip Code 11385

Rochester

SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
U.S. Federal Building, Room 4170
100 State Street
Rochester, New York 14614
Telephone: (585) 263-5771
Fax: (585) 263-5792

Covers the same offices as Buffalo, which includes the following field offices: Batavia, Buffalo, West Seneca, Cheektowaga, Jamestown, Dunkirk, Greece, Niagara Falls, Olean, Rochester

Syracuse

SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
300 S. State Street, 5th floor
Syracuse, New York 13202
Telephone: (315) 479-3900
Fax: (315) 479-3933

Covers the following field offices: Auburn, Binghamton, Ithaca, Elmira, Corning, Geneva, Ogdensburg, Oswego, Syracuse, Utica, Herkimer, Rome, Watertown

White Plains

SSA, Office of Hearing Operations
Suite 202
75 South Broadway
White Plains, New York 10601
Telephone: (914) 761-7190
Fax: (914) 682-7006

Covers the following field offices: New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, White Plains, Peekskill, Newburgh, Monticello, Glen Rock, Yonkers, Patterson, West Nyack

New York Rehabilitation Services

If you are interested in job retraining, here is a good government resource for New Yorkers.

New York State Education Department
Office of Adult Career and Continuing Education Services - Vocational Rehabilitation
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
800-222-JOBS

New York State Disability Benefits

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.

Getting Help

If you're looking for legal representation for your ALJ hearing, you can visit our New York disability lawyer page to find a local lawyer who can help you with your claim.