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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.
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