Survey Statistics: How Long Does It Take to Get Approved for Social Security Disability Benefits?

Most people get an initial decision in six months, though our survey showed some people receive a disability approval or denial in three months.

If you're thinking of applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)—or you've already applied—you've probably heard that it takes a long time to find out if you'll receive benefits. But how long? We surveyed readers across the U.S. who went through the application process for SSDI or SSI. Here's what we learned about how long they had to wait at different stages in the process.

Timeline for Initial Application Decision

After you turn in your application for SSDI or SSI, a disability examiner will make an initial decision on whether you qualify for benefits. The amount of time it takes to get that decision can vary considerably. Still, nearly four in ten (37%) readers got an answer within three months after they filed their applications. Not all were so lucky; while almost two-thirds (62%) of readers received a decision within six months, 38% had to wait longer than six months.

With state agencies still recovering from COVID-19 staffing issues and ongoing budget uncertainty, the average time for the initial disability decision in 2022 slipped to six months, and it didn't recover in 2023. In some states, like Florida and South Carolina, the decision was taking up to ten months in 2023, while in others, like Missouri and Vermont, the initial decision took only four to five months. For now, the days of SSDI getting approved in two months are over.

If Social Security initially denies your application based on a medical reason for disability denial (as opposed to a technical disability denial), you can appeal that decision by requesting a hearing. Although you'll have a greater chance of getting benefits after a disability hearing, you'll have to wait longer for that opportunity—often much longer.

Wait for a Reconsideration Review

Before you can get to a disability hearing, you need to go through a reconsideration review with a disability examiner. This step is essentially a formality, since most reconsiderations are denied. But it adds time. According to government data, the reconsideration process was taking an average of 210 days in early 2023—that's about seven months. But in many regions, the process only took four months.

The amount of time it could take in your case depends on several factors, including the backlog in your area, whether you have new medical records that the examiner needs to get, and whether your case involves special circumstances.

The Time It Takes for a Decision After a Disability Hearing

Unfortunately, applicants often have to wait a long time before they can present their case to a disability judge. Our survey showed that more than four in ten readers (44%) waited between one and two years to get a hearing date, while a similar number (42%) waited a year or less. The overall average wait time was 15.3 months.

Once applicants get to a hearing, they have to wait again for the judge's decision. But this time the wait isn't as long. Four in ten readers got an answer within a month, and about the same number heard within one to three months. The average time to receive a decision was about two months, but nearly 20% waited more than three months.

It's important to point out that our survey included readers who had completed the process in 2017 or earlier. Since then, Social Security has made some headway in reducing the hearing backlog (after it became temporarily worse during COVID). In January 2024, the average wait time for a hearing is about 10 months.

Total Wait: Start to Finish

We also asked readers who went to a hearing how long the entire process took them, from when they filed their initial application until they received a decision after the hearing. More than a third (35%) said it took between two and three years, while nearly a quarter (24%) told us it took more than three years. The overall average was 27 months.

Factors That Affect Wait Times for a Disability Decision

Several different factors can affect how long it will take for you to get a final decision on your SSDI or SSI application, especially if you request a hearing after an initial denial.

Location

From the time it takes a disability examiner to review your application through the time it takes to get a hearing date, case backlogs are responsible for most of the delays. So the amount of time it will take you to get through the process—especially the time you wait for a hearing date—may largely depend on where you live.

Government statistics show that the time to get a hearing date varies widely across the country. As of January 2024, average waits ranged from 6 to 19 months in different hearing offices (down from a range of 9 to 23 months in 2023). Cities with shorter wait times included Nashville and Franklin, Tennessee, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, while some of the longest waits were in Honolulu, South Jersey, and the Bronx.

Individual Circumstances

Naturally, the specifics of your case—including the amount of time it takes to obtain necessary medical evidence—could affect how long you have to wait for a decision after your application or after a hearing. And depending on the severity of your illness and your diagnosis, you may be able to get an expedited decision through one of Social Security's expedited programs:

And some SSI applicants may receive benefits before their claim is approved or denied through the Presumptive Disability program.

You can help speed up the process by submitting all of your medical records promptly to Social Security and having a doctor willing to write a supportive medical opinion. Keeping track of your application's status can also help correct any minor errors before they become bigger mistakes. And remember, it's not a bad sign if your decision is taking a long time.

Applying for Both SSDI and SSI

Readers who applied for both SSDI and SSI waited somewhat longer, on average, to receive decisions than those who applied under one program (about a month longer for initial decisions and two weeks longer for decisions after a hearing). This makes sense, because these "concurrent" applications are more complex and therefore probably take longer to review; they may also require more bureaucratic coordination between different offices. (Learn more about our survey results on SSDI and concurrent applications.)

Do Approvals Take Longer Than Denials?

Our survey results didn't show a significant difference in the amount of time it took to get an initial approval or a denial after filing a disability application. But there did appear to be a difference in how long it took to get an approval or denial after a hearing. Those who were approved for benefits after a hearing waited an average of about seven weeks for the decision, while those who were denied waited almost ten weeks, on average. This makes sense, because written decisions for denials of benefits need to be more detailed (to stand up to further appeal); as a result, they can take longer to write.

Further Appeals After Disability Hearing

If a disability judge denies SSDI or SSI benefits after a hearing, applicants can seek further review with the Social Security Appeals Council (which takes about a year on average) and, after that, an appeal in federal court. Taking both these steps could add years to the process.

Getting the SSI Checks

Finally, we asked readers who were approved for SSI how long it took them to receive their first benefits check after their applications were approved. This was a relatively small group in our overall survey, but nearly two-thirds (65%) said that they got the check within two months or less.

Is It Worth the Wait?

The biggest takeaway from these survey results is that you should be prepared for a long wait if you're applying for SSDI or SSI. Whether it's worth the wait depends, of course, on whether or not you get benefits at the end of the process. To learn what our survey showed about your chances of success, see our articles on who's most likely to be approved for Social Security disability benefits and how a disability lawyer affects SSDI/SSI outcomes.

Updated January 4, 2024

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