Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Social Security disability hearings were held either in-person, or from an approved Social Security remote hearing location with the judge appearing by video, and the claimant and their attorney in another location.
If a claimant couldn’t make it to one of these locations, it was difficult, if not impossible, to get a judge to let them appear by phone.
But all that changed in March 2020 when Covid-19 first surged in the U.S., and social distancing rules became widespread. All disability hearings were immediately moved to the phone. Eventually, video hearings were allowed as well through Microsoft Teams, and now some hearings are held in-person as well, but phone has become the new default option.
And now, the Social Security Administration has announced that effective this November, phone hearings will be the new default option, though claimants can also request hearings be held by video from their homes or an agency location, or in-person hearings can still be requested.
While the new rules are a bit complex, ultimately, claimants can always object to having a hearing by phone or video. However, if a judge schedules an in-person hearing, you’re going to have to appear. But these hearings are now much less common.
Social Security claims the new rules will allow the agency to process claims much quicker, as evidenced by SSA’s performance since the Covid-19 pandemic. And while there have been occasional technical issues that cause phone hearings to be rescheduled or canceled, those problems have been very uncommon. And it’s not like such things are unheard of with in-person hearings. So ultimately, this seems like good news for everyone.
