Checking Your SSD Claim Status
July 3, 2022
Completing an application for Social Security Disability (SSD) takes time. Once you submit your application, it goes to a local Disability Determination Services (DDS) office, where it typically takes at least 30 days for your file to be assembled and medical records to be compiled.
That being said, if you’ve been waiting a month or more to hear back from Social Security after submitting your application, you can (and should) check the status of your claim.
How to Check Your SSD Claim Status
There are 2 ways to check the status of your application.
- You can check online at the SSA website. This is definitely the most convenient way to check the status of your claim. You’ll need to create a “My Social Security” account online, which only takes a few minutes.
- You can also contact the SSA by phone and speak to a representative.
Initial Application and Reconsideration
After you’ve filed your application for SSD or your first appeal, it is probably more productive to speak to your disability examiner at Disability Determination Services (DDS). You should receive a phone call and paperwork when your claim is forwarded to DDS with the name of your examiner. If you do not know who your examiner is, you should contact your local SSA office for information.
When you call, you will need your Social Security Number, then a claims examiner will be able to tell you the status of your application or reconsideration appeal. You can always ask if there’s anything on your end that needs to be done to expedite your claim.
If after 2 months of filing your reconsideration, you still haven’t received a decision, you should check the status of your application, because reconsideration decisions are typically decided within that time frame.
ALJ Hearing
Should your reconsideration appeal be denied, the next step in the appeal process is a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). Once this happens, your claim will be moved to your local Office of Hearing Operations (OHO), where it will be assigned a hearing date.
Once your hearing date is set, you will receive notice in the mail; however, it can take months for you to hear anything back. In the past, some of our cases have taken over a year to schedule, but within the past year or so, most disability hearing requests have been assigned within 6 months.
The most effective way to check the status of your claim at this level is online. Again, you will need to have a “My Social Security Account” created. If you applied for Social Security Disability Benefits online, you will already have an account. If you applied on the phone or in person at a local SSA office, it only takes a few minutes to set up the account.
You can then check your status.
Need Help Applying for Social Security Disability?
If you hire a Social Security benefits lawyer like Kapor| Davis & Associates, LLC, will be able to check the status of your claim for you. Your lawyer will receive a copy of all the correspondence that is sent to you from the Social Security Administration, can check the status of your claim and keep you up to date on deadlines.
Of course, even if you have a representative, you can always check the status of your case on your own. For questions about the process for applying for SSD or get help with an upcoming appeal, contact Kapor | Davis & Associates, LLC, today!