For those who do not know, the Social Security disability process is a long, winding road that can take many applicants the better part of two years to navigate until a final decision is reached. There are a variety of reasons for this, but probably the biggest reason is it takes, on average, 12-15 months, for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).
For the majority of Social Security disability claimants, an ALJ hearing is needed before they actually receive benefits because of high denial rates at the initial application level and at the first appeal level, known as the Request for Reconsideration.
Although the average wait time for a hearing nationwide is around 12-15 months, the actual wait time for a hearing depends on which hearing office is in charge of adjudicating your claim.
More accurate information about wait times based on jurisdiction can be found here. Each state has its own average wait time for hearings. The wait times are calculated based on how long it takes for a hearing to be placed on the calendar, from the date of request. In early 2014 the state with the fewest wait time came in at seven (Rhode Island) months compared to as much as 17 (Maryland) months for the longest wait time.
The site is a valuable tool for disability claimants as well as disability representatives because it calculates the wait time down to the day and also gives the approval percentages for all judges at a particular hearings office and a more in-depth calculation of the actual approval ratings of each judge.
In all, there are more than 160 hearings offices across the country, which conduct hearings and more 1,600 ALJs total.
