Posted By Golson McCraken Inc || 24-Mar-2014

The number one question we hear from clients and prospective clients every day is “How long will it take to get a decision on my Social Security Disability claim?

Unfortunately, there is no quick and firm answer to this question.

Most claimants will not get a favorable decision on their claim until they reach the Administrative Law Judge hearing. There are exceptions to this, and some claims will be decided quickly if the medical evidence leaves no room for question, but the criteria set forth for an approval is very narrow for most individuals. Some claimants have a vocational profile that fits a very specific standard set by Social Security that may allow an early approval of their claim with supportive medical evidence.

There are also some claimants who will receive decisions very quickly due to compassionate allowances for terminal illnesses or severe birth defects.

Wounded Warriors get special consideration to accelerate their claims, but this doesn’t mean that they will be approved at a greater rate at any level of their claims.

There are three levels of a claim for Social security benefits in most states including North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Initial claim: The average processing time for an initial claim is two to four months.

Reconsideration: The average processing time is again two to four months.

Unfortunately, only a small number of claims will be approved at either of these levels.

The Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Hearing: There is a large backlog of claims at this level. Social Security has been working to eleiminate this backlog by implementing several programs and by opening new hearing offices and hiring more judges, but there is still a significant wait time for claimants. We represent claimants at the hearing offices below and have listed the current average wait time between hearing request date and a hearing.

• Charleston, SC: 13 months
• Charlotte, NC: 16 months
• Charlottesville, VA: 16 months
• Fayetteville, NC: 14.5 months
• Greensboro, NC: 15 months
• Raleigh, NC: 14 months
• Richmond, VA: 15 months

The answer for most claimants is that it will take too long, possibly two years or more before they get a favorable decision on their claim.

At Golson & McCracken we try to get a decision for every client as quickly as possible. We make sure that the decision makers at Social Security have all the medical evidence available at every level of the claim, and check in with state and federal agencies to ensure that the claims are being handled as efficiently as possible. We recognize that this is a very challenging time for our clients and are here to build a successful claim at every level.

If you have questions regarding how long it will take to get a decision on your claim, don’t hesitate to call Golson, McCracken for a free individual assessment of your claim.