New York Social Security Disability applicants are often in for an unpleasant surprise when they decide to pursue a disability claim with the Social Security Administration. While many applicants believe that the application process consists of a few months of paperwork and then an approval of benefits, the truth is that the majority of applicants are denied during the initial stage of the application process. This then results in the need for a disability appeal – a process that can take more than two years to complete. In the State of New York, approximately 61.8 percent of the applicants who apply for Social Security Disability benefits are denied and must pursue an appeal in order to overturn the SSA’s decision to deny their disability payments.
If your initial claim for disability benefits is denied by the Social Security Administration, your best chance of successfully overturning the decision will be at your disability hearing. This hearing is heard by an Administrative Law Judge at one of the SSA’s Offices of Disability Adjudication and Review.
In the State of New York there are 10 ODAR offices handling the hearings for New York disability applicants. The office that your hearing will be held will depend on the area of New York in which you live. Even though there are a number of ODAR offices handling the disability hearings for New York applicants, wait times for a hearing can still be significant. Across the 10 ODAR offices in New York, hearing processing times range from 271 days to 435 days.
The table below outlines the approval rates and processing times for the ODAR offices in the State of New York versus the national average.
| Hearing Office | Approval Rate | Processing Time in Days |
| Albany | 60.6% | 333 |
| Bronx | 45.5% | 336 |
| Brooklyn | 58% | 365 |
| Buffalo | 51.5% | 435 |
| Jericho | 63.8% | 271 |
| New York | 45.3% | 299 |
| Queens | 49.7% | 353 |
| Rochester | 50.9% | 380 |
| Syracuse | 42.2% | 337 |
| White Plains | 44.1% | 330 |
There are currently 104 Administrative Law Judges who hear cases for the ODAR offices located in the State of New York. These judges each have varying award ratios ranging from 28.7 percent to 100 percent. This means that your chances of being successful in your disability hearing can vary drastically depending upon which Administrative Law Judge hears your case and what that Administrative Law Judge needs to see in order to approve your claim for disability benefits.
New York Social Security Disability Lawyers are familiar with the different New York Administrative Law Judges and they will know how to make your case stronger depending on which judge your case is assigned to. If you want your disability hearing to be successful, it is crucial that you have this insight and that you work with an attorney who knows how to present your case in the best light possible to the particular judge you will be working with.
If you would like a free consultation with a disability attorney in New York, please fill out the free evaluation form provided for you on this site. The initial consultation with a disability attorney is always free and your attorney will not collect a fee unless you win your Social Security Disability case.
