Claimants are often nervous before the disability hearing simply because they do not know what to expect. When you appeal your case, you can request an in-person or Virtual Teleconference Hearing.
*If you choose a Virtual Teleconference Hearing, your hearing could be at a local Social Security Administration Office. In this part of the state, these hearings occur at the Social Security Administration offices in Jefferson City, Lebanon, and Sedalia.
*If you choose an in-person hearing, it will be held at an Office of Adjudication and Review (ODAR). In this part of the state, in-person hearings are held at the ODAR location in Columbia.
If you have an in-person hearing, it will take place in a much smaller courtroom than one you would see at a county courthouse. There will be an administrative law judge, a court reporter, and a vocational expert in the courtroom.
The court reporter will swear you and the vocational expert in, and the hearing will begin. The administrative law judge will review your file with all of your medical records and ask you questions about your past work, physical and mental limitations, daily activities, and social life.
After you are done testifying, the administrative law judge will then ask the vocational expert hypothetical questions about what jobs a person with your disabilities could perform. You will then have a chance to cross-examine or ask the vocational expert follow-up questions.
The Administrative Law Judge will not make a ruling at the end of the hearing. It typically takes three to six months to receive the final decision.