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How long after my Social Security hearing does it take to get a decision?

May 30th, 2008
by Tomasz Stasiuk.

I went to my Social Security hearing. But, the Judge did not say if she was going to find me disabled or not. When do I get my decision?!?

As you personally experienced, in most Social Security cases, the judge does not rule on your case at your hearing. In Colorado, I only see a decision from the bench in about one in ten cases.

In most cases, you will receive a written decision about 45 to 90 days after the hearing.

Why does it take so long?  

Some judges write their own decision between reviewing upcoming cases and performing hearings.  However, it is not unusual for the decision to be sent to a “decision writer.”  Then it has to come back to the judge, be reviewed, corrected, and finalized.  After all of this is done, the decision mailed to you and your lawyer.

Unfortunately, this process takes some time.

How long did you have to wait to get your hearing decision?  Tell me in the comments!

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  • joanne
    How long does it take to get a social security hearing?
  • I have an article about that very question here.
  • Charles
    Here in Penna,it seems to be about the same...Wifes Hearing was Oct 1,this yr. the ALJ demanded from a Dr another pc of info which was just reciently aquired by order test.which was set just before the hearing..as such we (wife and I) had to scramble to get the test done,records faxed to the ALJ with in hrs of results. now its the waiting game...Wife will be 55 in Jan..09, it appears she most likely will wait til then to hear anything reguardless...she had cancer and has multiple disk problems in her back..and neck area...I went thru mine some 17 yrs ago as hurt on the job....I was 40 when i began the process...
  • tina65
    i had my hearing in front of a judge in march o9 and it is almost septemeber and the judge had made a decision in april and when i call to check on it they allways say it is at the decision writer and at the hearing the judge asked the ve if there was any jobs i could do considering my health and medications i take and he said there was no jobs i could do does that sound like it might be in my favor and if i was denied dont you think that they would of allready sent me a denial letter
  • There is not much I can say. It is often a good idea to stay in touch with the hearing office to make sure you don't miss the decision. When more than 6 months passes I sometimes consider Congressional involvement, but it depends on the circumstances. See http://www.socialsecurityinsider.com/2008/10/sh...
  • csc1959
    No you can still be denied when I went to my hearing the VE kept saying every time the Judge asked Do you believe she do this job or that job & every answer he gave for a Job was no I believe she could not and I still got denied. Sorry,
  • Well, you're right. The VE is just a witness at the hearing and the judge does not have to agree with any witness. I have had hearings where the judge found the vocational expert's testimony to be not credible (fortunately, it was in my client's favor that time). That is however, extremely rare.

    Still, if the vocational *expert* says there are no jobs available in response to *every* hypothetical presented by the judge, and the claimant STILL get denied, that certainly is something to look at as a possible issue for the appeal.
  • Connorb
    I had my hearing here in NJ at the end of July and my fully favorable decision letter came exactly 30 days later. Not bad. Just waiting now for info on my benefits.
  • Connorb
    I had my hearing at the end of July here in NJ and exactly 30 days later my fully favorable decision letter came in the mail. Not bad! Now I'm waiting for info on my benefits which should come in the next 60 days.
  • Congratulations!!! You must be elated!
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