Receiving a Decision after a Social Security Disability Hearing

Your time has finally come: you’ve received a scheduled date, time, and location for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge for your Social Security Disability claim. And, of course, the Administrative Law Judge’s decision is the most important part of the puzzle now.

You may wonder how long it will take to receive a decision following your hearing. Much like the discussions we’ve had about other SSD related topics, there is no easy or definitive answer; the wait time will be different for many individuals. Some individuals may have an ALJ offer a decision at the time of their hearing; others may leave not knowing the outcome. But, the common factor between the two is that everyone must wait for a written decision to arrive to know for sure what the ALJ’s decision is.

The wait time for receiving a decision after a Social Security Disability hearing can differ for many reasons. For instances, some ALJ’s prefer to write their own decisions. This can be a time consuming process, as the written decisions are very detailed and provide specific details from medical records and testimony. Other ALJ’s prefer to have their decisions written by “decision writers.” Once a decision has been written, it is often reviewed and edits are made before it can be sent out. This process can take as little as a few weeks, or up to a few months (possibly longer).

If you’re a client and are still awaiting your decision, feel free to give us a call and let us know! We’ll deal with the government; you have enough to worry about. We’d be happy to call your local Social Security office to check on the status of your decision on your behalf.