EspañolOverview: Where We Stand
As of mid-2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) remains a lifeline for millions. But staffing reductions—reducing the workforce by around 7,000—have strained operations and stretched timelines. For our clients, we have experienced delays in benefit decisions, reduced access to services, and missed payments. On a daily basis, we run into issues getting through to case workers in local field offices. These are the offices that are responsible for cases at the application and reconsideration levels. Once we can get through, we are often given inaccurate or inconsistent updates on our clients’ cases.
Although it is frustrating for us, our years of experience handling disability cases helps us eventually get the information we are looking for. However, I worry about individual claimants who are going through this process on their own without the help of an attorney. I think it is more important than ever to have a social security disablity attorney representative.
There have been some recent reports from SSA touting improvements with call wait times, however those improvements have not yet been felt by the boots on the ground.
Timeline Realities at Each Stage
1. Initial Application
- The SSA indicates that initial decisions generally take 6 to 8 months, depending on the complexity of your case and how quickly medical records are gathered.
- Independent sources report initial SSDI decisions can take 8–10 months on average.
- AARP and others place this timeframe closer to 7 months.
- These timelines vary, depending on where you are in the country. We recently had a local office in Florida tell us it takes 9 to 12 months to assign a case worker to new disability applications they receive. That means they don’t even look at the application for 9 to 12 months.
If you’re starting this process, you’ll benefit from reading what you need to know about applying for SSDI benefits to understand how to prepare and avoid unnecessary delays.
2. Reconsideration (First Appeal)
- SSA data (though less accessible recently) historically shows reconsideration takes 6 to 9 months.
- AARP reports the average reconsideration wait time is about 7 months.
3. Hearing Before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)
- Current national average wait time for a hearing request to be granted is approximately 291 days—over 9.5 months.
- Some local offices, however, stretch that wait to 10–14 months, especially in high-volume regions.
- The time it takes to get a hearing, is the one area where we have seen improvement from years past. We used to warn our clients that it typically took over a year to get a hearing set. We regularly are getting hearings set 6 to 9 months from the date of our request now.
4. Appeals Council / Beyond
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After an ALJ decision, the Appeals Council review can take 12 weeks up to over 3 years, based on the caseload and available records.
Why This Matters—and What You Can Do
For claimants, these delays are more than inconvenient—they can be devastating, with some even facing financial collapse or passing away before a resolution arrives.
Working with legal representation can significantly accelerate the process and improve outcomes. Research shows that early representation increases your chances of winning an initial SSDI claim by 23%.
Final Thoughts
The Social Security disability system is under real strain. While some operational improvements have been made, the lingering effects of staffing cuts and growing demand continue to slow outcomes.
If you're navigating this process—whether for yourself or someone you care about—here’s what I recommend:
- Apply early, and submit a fully supported application with complete medical documentation.
- Track your case through your my Social Security account, and respond promptly to any SSA requests.
- Secure legal representation to help streamline your application, manage appeals, and meet critical deadlines
