Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are federal programs; however, South Dakota differs in how long a claim takes to be decided and in the amount of SSI a person can receive. We discuss these differences below and include contact information for disability-related offices in South Dakota.
You can apply for disability benefits online (for SSDI) or through a local Social Security field office (there are six in South Dakota, see below). The field office reviews your application to make sure that you have met the work history or financial requirements for benefits (for SSDI or SSI). Social Security then sends your application to South Dakota Disability Determination Services (DDS), a state agency in Sioux Falls. A claims examiner at DDS will decide whether you are medically eligible for disability.
If DDS denies your claim, you can request a reconsideration, where a different claims examiner reviews your file. If the agency denies the reconsideration, you can request an appeal hearing, and your claim will be sent to Social Security's Office of Hearings Operations (OHO), where an administrative law judge (ALJ) will decide your case at a disability hearing.
South Dakota DDS approved 36% of disability claims at the initial application level and a further 10% of the denied claims at the reconsideration level.
As far as the approval rate for ALJ hearings, because disability claims are heard by ALJs from OHO offices in Billings, Montana and Sioux Falls, which is a satellite of the Fargo, North Dakota office, Social Security doesn't release the approval rate for South Dakota claimants.
But in the Fargo and Billings offices, just over half of all disability appeals were approved, and it took an average of 15 months for a decision to be entered on a case (from the date the hearing was first requested).
| Stage of Application |
South Dakota |
Nationally |
|
Initial Application Approval |
36% |
35% |
|
Reconsideration Approval |
10% |
13% |
|
Hearing Approval |
52% |
45% |
|
Hearing Wait Time |
15 months |
18 months |
South Dakota provides a small supplementary payment to the federal SSI amount for almost all SSI recipients. An individual adult or an adult couple living independently will receive a $15 supplement each. To be eligible, the recipient must have no other sources of income other than SSI. The supplemental payment is administered by South Dakota's Department of Social Services (DSS). South Dakota uses the SSA's roster to determine eligible recipients who are still living independently. For more information, visit South Dakota's DSS website.
SSI recipients in South Dakota are automatically eligible for Medicaid, called "Medical Assistance." The Social Security Administration makes Medicaid eligibility determinations when it issues SSI disability award letters, and the State of South Dakota will contact the newly approved recipients directly about Medical Assistance benefits.
In South Dakota, a doctor or hospital can charge no more than $10.00 for the first ten pages of your records, and $0.33 for each additional page.
Contact information for DDS, SSA field offices, and hearing locations is listed below.
South Dakota's Department of Human Services (DHS) administers its DDS program. The contact information for DDS is:
South Dakota Disability Determination Services
811 E. 10th St. Dept 24
Sioux Falls, SD 57103-1650
Phone: 605-367-5499
Fax: 605-367-5485
For more information, visit the DDS website.
South Dakota has only one hearing office, in Sioux Falls, called the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO). The Sioux Falls location is a satellite office of the Fargo, North Dakota OHO. Claims from the Rapid City field offices are now heard at the Billings, Montana OHO.
Sioux Falls
1720 South Southeastern Avenue, Suite 200
Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57103
Phone: 877-378-9080
Fax: 605-330-4496
Rapid City
Billings OHO
2900 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 500
Billings, MT 59101-1266
Telephone: (877) 545-5512
Fax: (406) 247-7555
There are six field offices in South Dakota: Aberdeen, Huron, Rapid City, Sioux Falls, Watertown, and Yankton.
South Dakota offers rehabilitative services through its Department of Human Services. The services include job training, respite services, and assistance with daily living. For more information, visit the DHS website.
If you want a lawyer to represent you at your appeal hearing or you need other assistance with your disability claim, visit our South Dakota disability lawyers page below to find a local attorney who can help you.
Need a lawyer? Start here.