Individuals waiting for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge need to understand the average processing time for their case. The processing time varies from the Office of Hearings and Appeals to the Office of Hearings and Appeals throughout the country. Many factors influence the time it takes to get to hearing.
Based upon the most recent data ending February 22, 2013, the Office of Hearings and Appeals in Spokane, Washington, was taking 421 days to hear a case from initial application. This is a long time to wait for a decision on a disability claim.
This time frame reflects the large number of cases before this office, the reduced support staff to complete the necessary prehearing workup on a case, and the recent increase in the number of Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income applications made nationally. It remains to be seen whether or not this timeframe will shorten in the immediate future.
The Office of Hearings and Appeals in Spokane, Washington, now has a full complement of judges working on cases so it is anticipated that the time to get a hearing should decrease.
