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What to Expect at the Administrative Hearing
The administrative hearing is
the third stage in a Social Security or SSI (Supplemental
Security Income) appeal. After a denial at the reconsideration
level a hearing is requested. It takes between 12 and 15
months to get a hearing date after the hearing request.
Hearings are meant to be informal, fact-finding procedures.
The people present at the hearing are the claimant, attorney,
judge and the reporter who is there simply to record the
hearing and handle the file. Sometimes medical and vocational
experts are also in attendance. The job of these experts is to
give an opinion on the case, based on the record and
testimony. Lay witnesses, such as family members or former
employers, may also appear and testify.
There is no prosecutor at the hearing, no lawyer for Social
Security to cross-examine the claimant. The hearings usually
take about an hour. The judges will sometimes ask questions
first and then allow the attorney to direct questions to the
claimant. Some judges let the attorney ask questions first. In
either event, the main information covered is age, educational
background including vocational training, work history and
disabilities. The disability can be mental, physical or both.
All the pertinent information is presented to the judge. The
judge will consider the medical evidence in the file, the
testimony at the hearing, the experts’ opinions and any
further briefs or letters from the attorney, and then issue a
decision. The decision will rarely be given at the hearing
itself. It is usually about 90 days after the hearing before a
written decision can be expected.
The written decision, if favorable, is the trigger for the
beginning of the payment process. Unfortunately, it can still
be several more months until money is in the hands of a
successful claimant. In SSI claims the claimant is called into
the District Office for an interview to establish current
financial qualification. They may get a check within 60 to 120
days or longer. Regular disability cases are paid from a
payment office in another part of the country and have similar
delays.
In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Social Security administrative
hearings are held at three primary locations. The Fort Worth
Hearing Office is located at Federal Office Building, Room
9A27, 819 Taylor Street, Fort Worth 76102. There are two
offices in Dallas. The Dallas Downtown Hearing Office is at
Plaza of the Americas, South Tower, Suite 300, 600 Pearl
Street, Dallas 75201. The Dallas North Hearing Office is at
Park Central VIII, 8th Floor, 12770 Merit Drive,
Dallas 75251.
Kraft & Associates
2777 Stemmons Freeway
Suite 1300
Dallas, Texas 75207
Dallas: (214) 999-9999
Fort Worth: (817) 999-9999
Toll Free: (800) 989-9999
FAX: (214) 637-2118
E-mail:
info@kraftlaw.com
Please direct general business inquiries to:
Ms. Nita Maki, Office Administrator
nmaki@kraftlaw.com
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