I was talking to a woman who was upset with her attorney. Her Social Security case had been denied at the hearing level. The Administrative Law Judge did not think she was disabled. With her attorney’s help, she appealed to the Social Security Appeals Council.

After months and months, her appeal was denied.  Even more than being denied, she was upset that her lawyer could not tell her why she had been denied.

We discussed that there is no way the attorney could know. When the Appeals Council denies an appeal, all you get is a form letter that says in part:

We found no reason under our rules to review the Administrative Law Judge’s decision. Therefore, we have denied your request for review.

No matter how many arguments your attorney put forward in the appeal, or how good they were, you do not get an explanation of why your appeal was denied. All you get is a form letter. It is a bit like getting a rejection letter from a publisher: you don’t know what they didn’t like about your story; you just know that it was rejected.

It is just as frustrating for the lawyer to not know why the appeal was rejected. What it comes down to, is that even your lawyer cannot tell you why the appeal was denied since Social Security does not tell us.

You have been denied disability benefits by an Administrative Law Judge at your Social Security hearing. You filed an appeal with the Social Security Appeals Council. If they approve the appeal, you can get your disability benefits? Right?

Probably not.

The Social Security Appeals Council generally looks at three things:

• Was there an error of law? Did the Judge apply the wrong standard, or misapply a standard?
• Were the Judge’s actions, findings and conclusions supported by substantial evidence?
• Is there as broad policy or procedural issue which may affect the general and public interest?

Of these three, the Appeals Council (AC) mostly deals with legal error.

Why am I discussing this? Because, even if there is legal error, that does not necessarily mean you are disabled. It only means there were mistakes at the hearing level; and that is not enough to win disability benefits.

So what do you get if you win at the Appeals Council?

The majority of the time, the Appeals Council will not approve a case outright. Instead, if there were significant mistakes at the hearing level, the Appeals Council will send the case back to the hearing level with instructions on what needs to be done to correct the mistakes.

You don’t win, you get sent back for another hearing. Here is the other shoe dropping: the second hearing is typically with the same judge that heard the case at the first hearing.

While you can request a new Judge, or ask the Judge to recuse him/herself if you feel that you were treated unfairly, you generally get the same judge when a case is remanded from the Appeals Council. The exceptions to this are as follows:

• If you had an out-of-state Judge at the first hearing who is not available for the second hearing. Or,
• If you have already appealed a decision from the same judge to the Appeals Council twice and had the same case remanded.

For more information about appealing to a hearing denial to the Social Security Appeals Council, click here.

While many Social Security disability hearings in Colorado have decisions issued in 45 to 90 days, some cases wait for four, five, even six months without a decision.

I was recently asked if a long wait after a hearing is a bad sign?

I previously wrote about my experience with how long it takes to get a decision after a Social Security hearing. Many lawyers who have been doing Social Security cases for a while can’t help but notice that the longer it takes to get a decision, the greater the chances that the case will be denied. However, that is not the whole story. Here is my take on this issue.

Social Security approvals often result in fast decisions

Even if the judge does not rule at the hearing, a decision in an approval is often sent within the normal 45 to 90 day window.

Social Security denials take longer to be processed

In the case of denials, I frequently see cases sent out to a decision writer which adds up to 4 months to the decision process.

Why so long? There is a backlog of cases waiting for a decision writer to become available. This results in a case waiting for months after a hearing just to have a draft decision written. Note: this is before the decision even comes back to the judge for approval and/or editing. Combined with the original 90 day wait, some of these decisions are not issued for up to six or seven months after the date of the hearing.

So, if it takes more than 3 months to get a decision, it’s going to be a denial!?!

Not necessarily. While there is some correlation between lengthy decision times and denials, it is not a clear cut signal. Judges also use decision writers on cases that are going to be approved, which means even approval decisions sometimes four or more months before they are issued.

Don’t try to read the tea leaves

Ultimately, the only thing that counts is whether you are approved. Trying to read meaning into how long the decision takes is just guessing. It does not change the odds of winning or give you any meaningful information. Unfortunately, many people tear themselves up inside wondering what it means if a decision takes months to be issued.

All you can do is take a deep breath, let it out, and try to go on with your life while you wait.

Congratulations! You have won your Social Security disability case and have been approved for SSI! You have read my article about when you should get paid. But, weeks have gone by and you still have not heard anything from your local Social Security office about your benefits.

Is anyone working on my case?

Is there anyone there?

Hello?

While some SSI cases get very fast processing (sometimes an appointment is scheduled at the Social Security office before the hearing decision is even delivered), other cases wait for more than a month with seemingly no activity from Social Security.

Here is a tip: you can actually go in at any time after the favorable decision to get your SSI benefits processed.

Keep in mind this only applies to SSI benefits. If you have been approved to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, those are processed by a regional payment center. While your local Social Security office can check on the processing status, they cannot process those benefits themselves.

If you do decide to go in to get your benefits processed, get ready to wait when you arrive. Depending on how busy your local Social Security office is, you may be there half a day before you a technician can meet with you. You may also want to review my tips for surviving a trip to the Social Security office.

Do not to abuse this. Social Security is doing the best it can with limited resources. If you can wait a bit longer to get your benefits processed, they will get to you. However, if you have already waited more than a month after getting your SSI approval, with no sign of Social Security getting to your case, this may be an option.

One more thing to remember if you need to speed up your Social Security case: don’t forget to check if your case qualifies for expedited processing as a dire need case.

If your Social Security disability case has been denied. You need to know how long you have to file your appeal. You only have so much time before your deadline. If you miss that window of opportunity, you may be back to square one.

Check your denial

The best tip I can offer if your case is denied is to check the paperwork. While there are several common deadlines, if you do not definitely know how long Social Security gives you to appeal, you may be using the wrong deadline.

The paperwork you are looking for is typically a denial. However, it may also be called a “decision,” “notice of disapproved claim,” “notice of proposed action,” or something else. The thing to keep in mind is that whenever Social Security decides something on your case, they will also tell you the following:

1. The appeal options. What you can do if you disagree with the action or decision.
2. The appeal process. What forms you need to fill out, where to get them, where to turn them in, or the website to go to appeal.
3. How long you have to file the appeal.

If you have lost your Social Security denial?

If you no longer have your Social Security paperwork, give your local Social Security office a call. You can also call the toll-free Social Security number at 1-800-772-1213.

Social Security should always be able to tell you the most recent decision (or action on your case) and any applicable deadlines.

Lets get down to brass tacks. Here are the most common Social Security deadlines:

65 days to appeal a Social Security denial

In most Social Security cases, you have 65 days to appeal a denial or decision. Again, there is no guarantee of 65 days; this is just the most common time limit.

Hold on, isn’t it 60 days?

Yes and no. Social Security typically gives you 60 days to file an appeal. However the 60 days normally do not start until 5 days after the date on the decision. Those 5 days are the mailing time Social Security assumes it will take to get the denial to you.

So, effectively, you have 65 days from the date on the decision to appeal.

In theory, if it took longer than 5 days to get the decision to you, you might have an extra couple of days beyond that. However, if you file the appeal more than 65 days after the date on the denial, Social Security will assume that it is a late appeal and you will have to explain the late filing. Can you prove it took longer than 5 days to get the denial?

Note: if the denial is sitting for several days in a mailbox or PO Box because you have not picked it up, this will not normally extend the deadline.

Deadline to what?

I mailed the appeal on the 65th day. I even got confirmation from the post office. I’m good, right?

Probably not. Appeals are not taxes. Getting a postmark by the last day does not stop the deadline clock.

You have to get the appeal into Social Security’s hands on or before the deadline. If you are close to the deadline, that may mean overnighting the appeal, or walking it in.

What if the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday?

If the deadline falls on a weekend or national holiday, then the deadline is moved to the next business day.

However, don’t bet your case on it! I have seen too many cases where the appeal was properly filed on the next business day after a weekend deadline and in every single instance, Social Security treated it as a late appeal. This was able to be resolved with a letter explaining the circumstances. However, it put an extra hurdle in the way of proving the disability case.

If at all possible, get the appeal in early!

Wrap-up

I want to remind you again, deadlines can change and the best source for finding the deadline in your case is to check your Social Security paperwork or contact Social Security directly.

Check out this article for more tips on dealing with Social Security deadlines.

One of my readers asked:

I had my hearing 2 weeks ago in Denver. The judge made an immediate favorable decision. My lawyer told me that most people get their benefits before they even receive the decision. I’m waiting patiently.

Congratulations on the win!

I have written about how long it takes after a hearing to get a decision, as well as my experience with how long it takes to actually get the benefits.

Personally, I have never seen benefits paid before the receiving a decision.

However, I have started to see some cases where a client receives a letter from the local Social Security office scheduling an appointment to process benefits before the decision is delivered. Clearly, the Judge’s office is entering the decision and Social Security acting on it immediately (and kudos for that), while the decision takes a few days to be delivered by the post office.

This does not happen all the time. In fact I have only see this is a small portion of cases and only on SSI cases. This makes sense since the local office only processes benefits (after a win) on SSI cases. Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefit cases are processed by a regional payment center.

Unfortunately, in many other cases, it takes four to six weeks after the decision before an appointment is scheduled at the local Social Security office. Since this may cause a hardship, it is sometimes possible to get a case expedited for dire need.

It always shocks me when I hear that Social Security has discouraged someone from filing an appeal. However, several times a year someone tells me something like this:

When I asked for the forms to appeal I was told, ‘if you appeal, you are just going to be denied.’

This is improper for a number of reasons:

1. It is not Social Security’s job to encourage or discourage people from pursuing cases. You have a right to appeal!
2. If you are requesting a hearing, the person telling you not to appeal will not be the person making the decision. So he or she has not idea what the outcome will be.
3. Telling you not to appeal assumes that Social Security knows all there is to know about a case and nothing will change the decision. As a lawyer whose job it is to get Social Security to change its mind, I can tell you I have not seen a single case that Social Security had all of the relevant information.

If someone at Social Security tells you not to bother appealing, get the person’s name and ask to speak to head of that Social Security office. Better still, send a letter both to head of the Social Security office and to your Congressperson complaining that Social Security is bullying you out of pursing your rights.

You may have a good case, you may have a bad case. But it is an abuse of power to try to talk you out of pursuing your rights by telling you that you will be denied again.

To quote an old lottery slogan, “you can’t win, if you don’t play.” It may seem obvious, but you cannot receive Social Security disability benefits if you do not apply.

If fact, many Social Security regulations about Social Security eligibility start with this simple requirement:

Step 1: You apply.

As I have written about before, Social Security uses the protected filing date (PFD) to decide how far back your benefits can go.

From time to time, I receive a phone call like this:

I’ve been disabled since 1994, but Social Security only wants to pay me 12 months of back benefits!

I see. When did you apply for benefits?

Last month…

I then explain how Social Security pays back benefits using the protected filing date as the starting point.

Here is what it comes down to: if you want Social Security benefits, you have to apply!

How do you begin to review your Social Security exhibit file? Here is a quick guide to finding the really important parts.

Start with the “F” section to review the medical records.

If you do not review anything else in the file, you need to know what medical records are there (and what records are missing).

Here is what I look for:

• Are all the doctors and hospitals listed? If the doctor or hospital is not listed, it is a safe bet that those records are not in the file. There are some exceptions to this. Occasionally, records are commingled, with more than one doctor’s records in one exhibit, but that is usually straightened out as the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) gets your exhibit file ready for the hearing.
• Are all all the dates of service complete? In the image above the records cover August 19, 2003 through November 13, 2003. If you know you treated with that doctor in 2004, you know the records are not complete.
• Do the number of pages look right? If you were treating with the same doctor for years and years, but Social Security only shows 12 pages, the records are probably not complete.

Then, start to review the actual records. While a review of the exhibit list can help you quickly spot missing records or other problems, you really have to examine the records to find out what Social Security has (and what might be missing).

The F section of the file also has all the reports from any doctors Social Security sent you to. If you want to see what the consultative examiner had to say, now is your chance to find out!

You will also find the forms from the Social Security technicians describing what limitations they think you have. Social Security often uses this information in deciding your case, so you need to know what they are saying.

Just before your Social Security hearing, you will be given a cd and pointed at a computer. If you ask, someone may help you load up the disk and get you to a screen that looks like this:

Ok, now what?

What is all this stuff and what do I do with it?

Social Security uses electronic case files. The image above is the “Exhibit List Index” which may automatically come up when you insert the disk into the computer (if it does not, you may have to browse to your cd and double click “index.html” If in doubt, just ask your kids.

The Exhibit List Index is a “table of contents” for the documents in the file.

In the above image, you can see there are 4 exhibits in the “B” part of the file.  The first one, 1B is a request for hearing and that document is 5 pages long. By clicking on any link (blue underlined text) you will be taken to that exhibit.

I know how to move around in the exhibit file, but I don’t know what I am looking at!

Ok. The file is divided into different sections, labeled A through F. Here is what you can find inside each section.

• Section “A” contains the transmittal sheets, which provide a quick overview of your case. These are pretty cryptic if you are not familiar with them. However, they do provide one critical piece of information: right at the top to the left of your Social Security Number there is a block for your “Filing Date.”  This is your Protected Filing Date.
• Section “B” covers the decisions on the case, or more importantly the denials. If you need to find the official documents in the case (denials, requests for hearing, fee agreements, appointment of representative forms, notice of hearings etc) this is where they are.
• Section “D” covers most of the forms that your filled out for Social Security and the non-medical evidence. This includes all the forms Social Security has you fill out, and your earnings records. This also includes school records such as grades, IEPs, 504 plans, teacher questionnaires, and all other school records.
• Section “F” has all of the medical records in your case. This includes the reports of the doctors Social Security sent you to (you really need to review this) and the reports from any technicians who completed forms describing what you can and cannot do.

What do you do with all of this … stuff? Well, you read it. Personally, I like to do a cover-to-cover review of the file.

However, if you have never read a file before, you may give up before you get to the critical stuff (like the medical records all the way in the back of the file). My next series of articles will deal with how to review a Social Security exhibit file.

Keep in mind that there are some regional differences in how Social Security organizes the files. I have seen files from other states that had records in different places. Some states try to speed up the processing of cases by putting all the medical records into just one “F” exhibit. You end up with just a single description, “1F Medical Records 608 pages.” This is fairly useless and requires going through the exhibit and figuring out exactly what records are there.

In some disability decisions, the judge ask Social Security to review the case, sometimes as short as six months, sometimes the judge asks for a review in a couple of years.

I thought you said that most Social Security disability cases were for “open” disability — where there is no foreseeable end to the disability.

Compared to a “closed period of disability” case, that is true. In a closed period case, either you, or the judge, picks a date when your disability ended, and it is always a date in the past.

Here, the judge expects your condition will improve in the future and you may no longer be disabled.

This does not mean your benefits will automatically end. However, Social Security will review your case to see if your disability continues.

• If your disability continues, your benefits may continue as well (assuming there is no other problem to cause your benefits to stop).
• If your are no longer disabled, your benefits will probably stop.

As in every Social Security disability case, it is vitally important to keep treating even after your have won.

If you do not have a supportive doctor when Social Security reviews your case (and almost all cases are reviewed at some point), a Social Security doctor (who has never seen you) or a Social Security technician may decide based on your limited medical evidence that you are no longer disabled.

Disability cases based on seizure disorders are a very special kind of disability case.

If your case goes in front of an Administrative Law Judge, you can expect to be asked these questions:

• How often do you have seizures?
• What happens during a seizure?
• How do you feel after a seizure?  
• What do you have to do after a seizure (lie down, sleep etc)? And for how long?
• Are you treating with a doctor?
• Are you taking your medications as prescribed? How long have you been taking your medications?

While seizure disorders (epilepsy, partial complex seizures, etc.) are often disabling, simply having a seizure disorder is not enough to be found disabled. In many cases, medications control the frequency or severity of seizures.

Of course, in many cases, they do not. 

But, to improve your chances of winning your case, you have to be ready to talk about your seizures, how often they happen and how they effect you.

San Francisco disability attorney Geri Kahn wrote about her experiences with providing records to Social Security:

Before filing a new initial claim I always order the records and then submit them directly to the Social Security field office immediately after I have filed the claim electronically.  I recently was at an interview in one of the field offices in San Francisco and the claims representative told me that he could not accept the records I was submitting because he was only permitted to fax 15 pages to the state agency disability  examiner.

Since you need to prove that you are unable to work to win a Social Security disability claim, Social Security often uses disability examiners to get a medical opinion of what a person can and cannot do.  Disability examiners use the medical records Social Security provides to make this decision.  

Then, Social Security uses the disability examiner’s opinion to decide if your condition(s) make you disabled.  

Limiting the number of pages sent to a disability examiner, and to 15 pages no less, is ridiculous. 

That is barely a sliver of the amount of information in most cases.  It’s like deciding whether an individual is disabled by seeing if they can walk down a hallway. 

Fortunately, most cases get a much better review with judges at the hearing level. If you are denied on your initial application, do not give up. Appeal!

via California Social Security Lawyer Blog.

It surprises my clients to learn that, most of the time, Social Security does not update medical records after the initial denial.

With wait times of a year or more, this can mean that by the time your case gets in front of a judge, the records in your file may be a year (or more) old, and your recent treatment may not be in the file at all.

This is not the way the system is supposed to work.

When you appeal the initial denial, you provide a list of your current doctors, dates of treatment, tests performed, and medications as part of the appeal.  You also provide an authorization letting Social Security get updated records. Your appeal will be rejected if you do not do this.

There are also regulation instructing Judges to assist un-represented claimants (people applying for Social Security) with obtaining relevant evidence in their case.

BUT, when I get a call from someone whose hearing has just been set, or continued, I often see that NONE of the records have been updated since the denial.

Think about the waiting times in your area.  In Colorado, the typical wait is a bit over a year (although the times in the Pueblo area are sometimes over 2 years). Do you want a Judge deciding your case with out-of-date records?

This is why you need to review your file early to figure out just what records Social Security has, what records are incomplete, and what records are just plain missing. That means you have to know how to review your file.

Personally, I encourage you to work with an attorney to make sure the necessary records are in your file. However, if you decide to brave this process alone, make sure you know what is in your file and keep it up to date!

I was recently asked how long after Social Security sends you to a doctor for a consultative examination will it take to get a decision.

I previously wrote about how long it takes to receive an initial decision after you apply for Social Security disability benefits and how long it takes to get a Social Security hearing.

Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules for how long it will take to get a decision after the consultative examination. But, you can make a pretty good guess. 

I usually see a decision four to six months after an application for either disability insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.  

So, if Social Security schedules a consultative examination 3 months after the application was filed, as an estimate, you can expect a decision in the next 30 to 90 days.

How long after the consultative examination did you get your decision? Let me know in the comments!

How long after you complete your application for Social Security disability benefits (or Supplemental Security Income – SSI benefits), does it take to get a decision?

In Colorado where I practice, it usually takes between four and six months after you apply to get the initial decision. Sometimes, Social Security will describe this as between 120 and 180 days.

Even though it often takes a year or even two years to get your Social Security hearing, you may find that you are not ready when the big day finally comes.

Is there any way to continue, postpone, or delay my Social Security hearing?

Yes. You can request a continuance to postpone your hearing.

Lets look at how to do this.

Fortunately, there is no formal motion that has to be submitted to request a continuance. In my office, I usually send the judge a letter explaining my reasons for requesting the continuance.  

Then I follow up with the judge’s clerk to see if the motion has been granted or denied, by calling the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (the Notice of Hearing lists the phone number to use) and asking to speak to the judge’s “pre-hearing” clerk.

Common reasons for a continuance include:

1. You are sick or hospitalized.  This normally means physical illness, but it could include psychological problems such as not being able to interact with anyone that day.  However, it might be best for your case for the judge to see you on a bad day.
2. A close family member is sick, hospitalized, or has recently died.
3. You are looking for a lawyer.
4. You just hired a lawyer and your attorney needs time to review the file.  Note:  if you have a lawyer, the attorney will normally make this request.  
5. You have an upcoming medical test scheduled that is expected to shed light on your disability.  Note: it is best if the test is actually scheduled; not that you merely hope that you might somehow be able to get some kind of test done. 
6. You will be out of town or out of the state on the hearing date.
7. You are in school and the hearing is during or just before finals.
8. You are or will be incarcerated during the hearing.  Note: if you are or will be in prison, Social Security may move your case to a prison docket. Many appeals offices have at least one judge who travels between the prisons to hold hearings there.  As discussed before, you cannot receive Social Security benefits while incarcerated for a felony, BUT Social Security may hold a hearing in prison to address your eligibility for benefits for the time before you were incarcerated or to address eligibility for spouses or children of incarcerated individuals.

This is by no means a complete list.  Any good reason why the hearing should be continued will be considered by Social Security.  

However, keep in mind, requesting a continuance does not mean you will be granted a continuance. 

Are there bad reasons to request a continuance?

Sure.  While I won’t say that Social Security will never approve one of these reasons, I think the chances of success are pretty low:

1. You don’t want to go.  You can request that Social Security simply make a decision on the evidence in your file.  However, this usually does not produce the best results. 
2. You have already had 2 or more continuances.  If a Judge has already postponed your case even one time before, the judge may be unwilling to grant you another continuance without a darn good explanation of why you need another one. 

What were your experiences requesting a continuance? Tell me in the comments!

If you are keeping in touch with the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) which is preparing your case for hearing, you may be told that your case has finally been assigned to an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).  

However, ODAR may not tell you is how much longer it will take to get a hearing date, now that your case has been assigned to a Judge.  So, how long after your case is assigned to a judge will it take to get a hearing?

I normally estimate that a hearing will be scheduled between 60 to 90 days after a Judge has been assigned to a case.

By the time a case has been assigned to a Judge, the case file, which includes all the records and other evidence Social Security will use in deciding your case, has been “worked up” by ODAR staff.  The file has been organized, duplicate records removed, and things have generally been cleaned up for the Judge’s review. 

Keep in mind that finding time on the docket for your hearing may increase or decrease your wait time.

• If the Judge has an opening due to a cancellation, your case might be put into that spot, resulting in a quicker hearing.
• If the Judge’s docket is full, your hearing may be pushed back until the next set of open hearing times.  This may be several months away. 

What was your experience with getting a hearing after your case was assigned to a judge? Tell me in the comments!

Before you put yourself through the drudgery of going down to your local Social Security office, check the Social Security website to see if you can take care of your problem without going in.  

There are a lot of things you can take care of online.

Did you know you can do all of the following at the Social Security website?

• Apply for retirement benefits.
• Apply for disability benefits.
• Check your application status.
• Appeal a recent decision / denial.
• Find out what benefits you can apply for.
• Find out if you can get extra help with your Medicare prescription drug costs.
• Estimate your future retirement benefits.
• Find your full retirement age.
• Estimate your disability and survivors benefits.
• Request a Social Security Statement.
• Change your address or telephone number.
• Get a replacement Medicare card.
• Request a Proof of Income letter to verify Social Security benefit information.

Click for more information about what you can do online at Social Security.

I hear a lot of horror stories about going to the Social Security office.

If you need to go to the Social Security office to get a replacement card, change your name, or try to straighten something out with SSA, here are a few tips:

• Don’t go!  Before you put yourself through the misery, check the Social Security website to see if you can take care of the problem without going in.  Here is a list of things you can do online without going to a Social Security office!
• Call first! You may be able to resolve the problem with a phone call.  
  • Call the national toll free number at 1-800-772-1213.
  • If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call the toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. 
  • Click here for the phone number for your local office.

If you still need to go to your local office, here are some tips to help you survive:

• Get ready to wait. Depending on how busy it, you may be there a while. Seriously. You may be there the entire morning or afternoon. 
• Consider bringing the following:
  • Bring a book, newspaper or magazine.
  • Bring water (note some offices may not allow this).
  • Bring a snack.  Even if you are not allowed to eat at the office, you usually can eat just outside the office. This is especially important if you have diabetes or have problems with low blood sugar.  However, everyone should consider this as you may be there for more than 3 or 4 hours. 
  • Bring a cushion if you have trouble sitting for extended periods.
  • Bring a friend. It will help pass the time and you have someone to make sure you are not skipped while in the bathroom or on a cigarette break.
  • Bring a walkman, or mp3 player.
  • It can get noisy, so consider bringing earplugs.  BUT, don’t miss your name or number being called!!!
• Show up early.  Many offices open at 8:30 but some do not open until 9:00 AM.  Use the office locator to find out the opening and closing times for your office.
• Show up late. Many offices have a policy that if you are in the door before closing, you have to be seen. The flip-side of this is that if you have a difficult problem or you need someone at Social Security to be in a good mood and want to help you, showing up late may not help. 
• Ask the security officer for the best days or times to come back. If you cannot get your problem resolved, the security officer often knows the best times to return to minimize your wait.
• Do not bring a weapon (even if it is otherwise legal). This includes the pocket knife you bring everywhere or pepper spray. Going to the Social Security office is enough of a chore without getting arrested too.

Do you have any tips for surviving a trip to Social Security?  Tell us in the comments!