Social Security Disability (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are federal programs; however, states differ in which agency makes the disability decision, approval rates, the amount of SSI a person can receive, and how long a claim takes to be decided.
You apply for disability benefits through a local Social Security office (there are six in Wyoming), and your application is reviewed there to make sure that you have meet all of the technical requirements for benefits (such as income or work history requirements). Then your application is sent to the Wyoming Disability Determination Services (DDS), a state agency in Cheyenne, for a medical decision to be made on your records.
If the Wyoming DDS denies your claim, and your reconsideration request, your claim will be sent to the Office of Hearings Operations, where a judge will decide your case at a disability hearing. Caspar no longer has its own hearings office, so hearings are held in the Salt Lake City, Utah hearing office and the Billings, Montana hearing office.
Wyoming provides a small state supplement to SSI payments for disabled people living alone or with someone else, if SSI is their only source of income. Children are also eligible for the supplement. The amount of optional supplement depends on the living situation of the recipient:
You do not need to apply for the supplement because Wyoming uses information provided by the SSA to determine who is eligible. But the payment will be sent separately from the SSI check, on the 15th of the month, from the Wyoming Department of Health.
Claims examiners at the Wyoming DDS approve 52% of disability claims at the initial application level and another 20% of claims at the reconsideration level, so you have better chance of getting approved for disability in Wyoming than in many other states. As to approvals after the appeal hearing, Social Security doesn't release this statistic for Wyoming, because Wyoming disability claims are heard by ALJs from the Salt Lake City hearing office and the Billings hearing office. While it's not possible to determine exactly the approval rate for Wyoming claimants, here are the statistics for the Salt Lake City and Billings hearing offices, combined, to give you an idea of the approval rates and wait times in the area.
| Stage of Application |
Wyoming |
Nationally |
|
Initial Application Approval |
52% |
35% |
|
Reconsideration Approval |
20% |
13% |
|
Hearing Approval |
49% |
45% |
|
Hearing Wait Time |
15 months |
18 months |
The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services (DWS) is the parent agency of its DDS. The contact information for Wyoming's DDS office is:
Wyoming Disability Determination Services
2617 East Lincolnway, #B
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: 307-777-7341
Fax: 800-972-2372
Hearings for Wyoming claimants are heard in the following offices:
Salt Lake City Hearing OfficeSuite 3102There are five Social Security field offices in Wyoming where yoy can apply for benefits.
Casper Office
150 East B Street
Room 1008
Casper, WY 82602
Phone: 866-964-3972
Cheyenne Office
Suite 140
3001 E Pershing Boulevard
Cheyenne, WY 82001
Phone: 866-336-7580
Cody Office
1285 Sheridan Avenue
Suite 265
Cody, WY 82414
Phone: 844-345-3522
Riverton Office
215 Big Bend Ave
Riverton, WY 82501
Phone: 866-331-2198
Rock Springs Office
79 Winston Drive
Suite 131
Rock Springs, WY 82901
Phone: 855-881-0211
Sheridan Office
2268 N Main St
Sheridan, WY 82801
Phone: 866-530-7798
Wyoming offers vocational rehabilitation services through DWS for physical or mentally impaired residents who enroll in the program. Services include transportation to and from educational facilities, job training, interpretation for hearing or speech impaired, and assistance to increase independent living. For more information, visit the DWS website.
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