How long will it usually take to get a decision on a disability claim ?

How to prove you are disabled
and win disability benefits

In certain cases, a decision on a disability application can be received in just a few weeks, which is somewhat rare unless the claimant has a terminal condition, or their case presents a profile that is suitable for processing under compassionate allowance guidelines.

At the other end of the spectrum, decisions have been known to take as much as a year. This, however, is even more rare. When it happens, it is not simply due to difficulty that a disability examiner might have in obtaining medical records, or even due to the necessity of having to schedule multiple consultative medical examinations for the claimant. Or even due to the necessity of having to defer a case for several months because the claimant has suffered a heart attack or stroke (generally, this means the examiner will need to wait three months from the time of the incident to evaluate the claimant's residual functional capacity).

Disability applications that take such an extraordinary amount of time to process usually fall into a "perfect storm" category where many separate issues present problems simultaneously. And, fortunately, this does not happen often.

The average length of time it takes to get a disability decision

The average is what generally applies to most claims: An initial disability determination for SSI benefits or Social Security Disability benefits usually takes anywhere from 30 to 120 days.

If you are denied on a disability application and file an appeal of your disability claim, beginning with the first appeal, a reconsideration appeal, your claim will be sent back to the disability agency for another decision.

Note: When we say "disability agency", we actually mean DDS, or disability determination services, the state-level agency that makes decisions on SSD, SSI, and Medicaid disability claims for the social security administration.

A decision on a reconsideration appeal usually takes less time

As a general rule of thumb, most reconsiderations usually take a shorter amount of time, between 30 to 60 days.

Why? Mainly because much of the work has already been done at the disability application stage. For example, most, or all, of the medical records will already have been gathered. Typically, a disability examiner working on a request for reconsideration should not have to request additional medical records from a claimant's treatment sources--hospitals, doctors, clinics, psychologists--unless their file is lacking "recent records". And this is more likely to be the case when the claimant has waited until close to the very last minute to file their appeal--which is usually the case.

For a disability examiner to make a decision, particularly an approval, they need to have at least some medical evidence that is not older than 90 days so that the claimant's current disability status can be determined. The reasoning for this is that the social security administration considers the individual more likely to be disabled when their current status shows that they meet the quidelines and severity requirements of the SSD and SSI programs.

Despite the fact that SSA allows a 60 day period in which to submit an appeal at any level of the system, it is always in a claimant's best interests to get the disability appeal filed immediately.

Return to: SSDRC, or the Questions, Answers, Tips, and Advice page

Individual Questions and Answers

What is the Chance of Winning an SSA appeal for disability?

Requesting a Social Security Hearing when you have a Disability Representative or Attorney

Social Security Notice of Denial for a Disability Application or Appeal

What does a Disability Lawyer do to help you?

Social Security Disability Advice for Filing

Reconsideration of a Social Security Disability denial- what does it involve?

How to Apply for Disability - Where do I go to apply for disability ?

Filing for SSD Disability - When Should You put in a Claim?

Applying for disability benefits in Tennessee

Applying for Disability - what are the rules?

How to Qualify for Disability - How severe must a condition be?

Social Security Disability Doctor, Supportive Statements

Social Security Disability Mental Testing

How do you Win Benefits under Social Security Disability?

How Disabling Does A Condition Have To Be For Social Security, SSDI Benefits?

Can I get Retroactive SSI Disability Benefits?

How much time does it take to get an SSI Decision?

Can a child receive disability benefits for asthma ?

How will Social Security Determine if you get Disability Benefits?

Working while getting Disability - is it possible?

Congestive Heart Failure, Social Security Disability, and Applying for Benefits

How Long Will It Take To Get Approved for Disability?

Are you allowed to work at all if you get Social Security disability or SSI ?

Do Most Social Security Disability Reconsiderations Get Turned Down?

Is there ever a review to see if you are still disabled (If so when does it happen?)

How Does Social Security Decide How Much I Get For Disability?

What are the earnings limits for those on disability benefits?

Multiple Myeloma and Filing for Disability

There are different Methods of Eligibility for Social Security Disability Children Benefits

How many are denied disability benefits under the SSDI and SSI Programs?

Should you get a Disability Lawyer before you File for Disability, or get an answer on your claim?

Why is the Social Security Disability Decision Process So Slow

Getting a disability lawyer in Pennsylvania

Will the Medical Rules for Receiving Disability Grant Benefits for Short Term Social Security or SSI?

Why does Representation increase the win ratio at a Social Security Disability or SSI Hearing?

The Social Security Disability Five Month Waiting Period

Hiring a Qualified Disability Lawyer in Massachusetts

How does Social Security determine if I am disabled or not?

What Does It Mean If you Are Denied For Disability Because Of Other Work?

How severe must your condition be to be awarded Social Security disability?

SSD and SSI are Federal Programs

The title II Social Security Disability and title 16 SSI Disability programs operate under federal guidelines and, therefore, the program requirements--medical and non-medical--apply to all states:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Recent approval and denial statistics for various states can be viewed here:

Social Security Disability, SSI Approval and Denial Statistics by state

Special Section: Disability Lawyers and unnecessary claim denials