The first step in filing for disability is to complete and file an online or paper application. When an application for disability is filed, a local SSA office reviews the application to ensure the initial eligibility requirements for SSDI or SSI are met. SSA then sends the case to Disability Determination Services (DDS). DDS collects medical evidence, reviews forms, may send the claimant to examinations, and ultimately decides if the claimant is “disabled.” Applications take around 184 days to process (from date of filing to the date payment is made or denial notice issued) (as of 2022). If denied, a “Request for Reconsideration” is filed. This basically repeats the application process. The claim goes back to DDS, and it again takes around 183 days to process. If denied again, we file a request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), which goes to a Hearing Office for an in-person, telephone or video meeting, where you get the opportunity to speak and explain how your conditions affect you (among other topics covered). Social Security publishes the average wait time until hearings are held report, which shows the average wait til from the date of filing the appeal to the date of the hearing for each hearing office. Currently wait times are around six to nine months in 2024. If denied by an ALJ, the claimant can request an Appeals Council (AC) review, which is a paper appeal to a group in Virginia. The AC takes around one year to review cases and make a determination. Finally, if you disagree with the AC's decision, you can file a civil suit in a Federal District Court.