It’s been almost a year since you sent in your first disability application. There have been denials, appeals, hour-long phone calls, and frustrations—and now complete silence as you wait for someone to let you know your hearing date. While it’s great to know that you will finally get to appear in front of a judge to prove the extent of your disability, the waiting is agonizing. Isn’t there a way to get your hearing date moved up?
Some Options
There are a few ways to get your Social Security disability hearing scheduled more quickly, but each one has its own risks and set of qualifications. For instance, you may attempt to ask for an expedited hearing via the following:
- Dire need request. Claimants who are experiencing extreme financial hardship can ask for their hearing to be scheduled more quickly by sending a dire need letter. In your dire need letter, you should outline the specifics of your situation, including what may happen if your case is not heard soon (such as loss of medical treatment, suspension of care, eviction, or foreclosure). It is a good idea to forward this letter to the Office of Adjudication and Review (ODAR) where your hearing is waiting to be scheduled.
- On-the-record review. If you have a substantial amount of medical evidence to support your case, you may wish to request an on-the-record (OTR) review. This means that the hearing office is asked to review the claimant's record before the hearing date, in the hopes that the review will approve the case without the necessity of holding a hearing. Some cases are appropriate for on the record requests and some are not. Ask your attorney if your case is right for this request.
Want to know what else you should do while waiting for your appeal? Read the related links on this page or email us at [email protected] to find out what we can do to get your case settled more quickly.
