In September 2020 Social Security announced it would begin to offer Social Security disability claimants the opportunity to appear at disability hearings through a new online video format, but since then most hearing offices were not offering that option until recently. Below is a portion of the press release announcing the new option.
The Social Security Administration announced a new service for people awaiting a hearing decision. In addition to telephone hearings, Social Security will offer the opportunity for an online video hearing using the Microsoft Teams platform beginning this fall. This new free service will allow applicants and their representatives to participate in the hearing from anywhere they have access to a camera-enabled smartphone, tablet, or computer. This stable and secure online platform allows the Social Security judge to see and interact with applicants and their representatives just like an in-person hearing, while maintaining privacy of the claimant’s information. Other hearing experts, such as medical or vocational experts, may participate as well.
Social Security has been conducting appeal hearings with Administrative Law Judges (ALJ) via telephone only since March, while offices remain closed to the public to protect the health and safety of the public and employees. The agency’s ALJs have held more than 180,000 telephone hearings since March, allowing the agency to continue to deliver critical customer service.
For the new online video hearings, whether the device is a laptop, smartphone, or tablet on either iPhone or Android, people will experience a clear picture and audio of the ALJ and their representative during their hearing.
For updates on the implementation and expansion of this new hearing service, and other Social Security information, please visit the agency’s COVID-19 web page at, www.socialsecurity.gov/coronavirus/.
As the press release points out, until now most disability hearings have been conducted by phone. Each participant, the claimant, the claimant’s representative, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), and any witnesses all appeared in different locations by phone. This has been the practice since Social Security hearing offices were closed to the public in mid March and stopped doing in-person hearings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the new online video platform was announced Social Security Commissioner Andrew Saul said Social Security was looking at different ways to offer hearings to claimants.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of finding new ways to serve the public,” said Commissioner of Social Security Andrew Saul. “For over a decade, the agency has used video hearings to get applicants their hearing decisions sooner. This advancement builds on that effort, making it easier and more convenient to attend a hearing remotely, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. To continue to ensure all participants’ safety, we expect online video hearings and telephone hearings will be the only two hearing options for the foreseeable future.”
The new online video hearings will not be without any obstacles. Many people don’t have access to the needed technology and any time you add a new technological component to a process it increases the chances something will go wrong and hearings will need to be rescheduled. It is likely the number of disability hearing postponements will increase.
