Atlanta Social Security disability
Social Security disability claim Atlanta
Atlanta Office of Hearings & Appeals

Atlanta Social Security Disability Claims and Hearings

  Social Security disability hearings in Atlanta will be scheduled either the downtown Atlanta Office of Hearings and Appeals on Forsyth Street, or at the Atlanta North Office of Hearings & Appeals on Clairmont Road. Generally claimants who live downtown or in south metro Atlanta will appear at the downtown office and claimants who live in the northern suburbs (Gwinnett, Cobb, Forsyth) will appear at the Atlanta North Office.

  Most of the Atlanta Social Security disability judges are experienced hearing officials and several have been judges in the Atlanta and Atlanta north hearing offices for many years. With limited exceptions, you can expect to receive a fair hearing if your case is heard in either office.

  Currently, both the Atlanta and the Atlanta north hearing offices are understaffed, and both are overwhelmed with thousands of backlogged cases. In the spring of 2006, both Atlanta offices were directed to send several hundred cases each to Administrative Law Judges in other States, including California, Arizona, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

  Because of the staff shortage, you and your counsel need to be aware of the following:

• Office of Hearings & Appeals staff are no longer able to carefully number the exhibit lists or carefully put files together. Despite their best efforts, documents mailed or faxed to the hearing offices can get lost. Therefore, we recommend that you send all documents return receipt requested and that you keep copies of whatever you mail in your own file.
   
• OHA staff are not equipped to update medical, vocational or education records. Once a request for hearing has been filed, you (the claimant) and your attorney are solely responsible for updating the exhibit files. Since hearing delays may exceed two years, you and your counsel must regularly provide updates.
   
• When you and your counsel appear at a hearing, your exhibit file should be complete. If there are missing documents and you need to “leave the record open,” the decision in your case can be delayed months or years and when the judge sits down to review the file he will not remember you. You are much better off making the judge’s life easy in the Atlanta Social Security hearing offices.

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