Being awarded social security disability benefits in Massachusetts takes both time and persistence. In general, disability benefits are awarded to injured workers who have met certain criteria and whose injuries are severe enough to prevent them from being gainfully employed for at least a year. The state of Massachusetts actually has one of the higher award rates for social security disability claims. Still, only about 40% of initial SSD claims in MA are actually awarded, a number that’s about 8 percentage points higher than the national average. Workers who appeal an initial claim that has been denied have about a 22% chance of having their case being awarded compared with 11.5% nationally. Your chances of having your case awarded increase significantly at the hearing level. If you have applied for social security disability benefits and had both your initial claim and your request for reconsideration denied, you can ask to have your case reviewed by an administrative law judge (ALJ) at one of the three local ODAR or hearing offices in the state of Massachusetts. The hearing offices in the state are located in Lawrence, Boston and Springfield.
You can expect that the processing time to get a hearing for your case in the state of Massachusetts will fall in line with the national average of about one year. The number of days it takes on average in MA is 356 compared with 349 nationally. Once your case has been heard, you stand about a 61% chance of having your MA disability case awarded. The approval rates and processing times for social security disability cases in Massachusetts vary from office to office. Refer to the chart below for specific information on the three hearing offices in the state.
| Hearing Office | Approval Rate | Processing Time in Days |
| Boston | 48.8% | 347 |
| Lawrence | 55.5% | 368 |
| Springfield | 47.7% | 354 |
Massachusetts has 30 administrative law judges currently working in the three hearing offices located in the state. There are 8 judges working in Lawrence, 15 judges in Boston and 7 in Springfield. Massachusetts social security disability attorneys who regularly attend hearings will often have some insight on how to approach and present cases before different ALJs. That knowledge was work to your benefit. Click on the city closest to you for more information on hiring a Massachusetts Social Security attorney.
- Boston, MA
- Brockton, MA
- Fall River, MA
- Lowell, MA
- Lynn, MA
- New Bedford, MA
- Newton, MA
- Quincy, MA
- Somerville, MA
- Springfield, MA
- Worcester, MA
If you would like to receive a free consultation with a local SSD lawyer in the state of Massachusetts, just fill out the free, no-obligation evaluation form found on this site. You are not required to hire an attorney and your attorney will not be paid unless you are awarded your disability benefits.
