If you have filed a Social Security disability claim the day of your scheduled hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) will probably be one of the most important days of your life, so you should treat it that way.
The most important thing to remember when it comes to a disability hearing is you need to show-up. If you fail to show the ALJ will most likely dismiss your claim and you may have to start the entire process over.
Showing up to a hearing should not be too difficult for most people, but for some who lack transportation or suffer from mental health conditions, it can make it difficult to figure out a way to get to the hearing.
Figuring out transportation to the hearing can be difficult to do because a lot of people may not own a vehicle, are unable to drive due to a disability or don’t have anyone to bring them to the hearing. Luckily disability hearings are usually scheduled two to three months in advance of the actual date so there is time to plan your trip to the hearing. Some people may live pretty far away from a hearing site, but Social Security does compensate anyone who has to travel more than 75 miles to a hearing. It’s important that you seek out all resources to get to the hearing, this includes friends, family and public transportation. Using the excuse that you didn’t have a ride to a disability hearing does not sit well with the ALJ.
For others who have trouble traveling out in public situations where there is potential to be around a lot of people, the thought of getting to a hearing can bring extreme anxiety. Despite this fact there is really no way to get around the fact that a claimant has to get to a hearing unless the ALJ allows for a person to appear by phone in extraordinary circumstances. Social Security tries to make disability hearings informal situations where there are just a few people who are in the same room as the claimant during the hearing. As soon as you learn of the date of your hearing you should start planning on how you will get there as soon as possible.
