Q. What Happens in a Social Security Disability Hearing?

A. Social Security Disability hearings are informal. The decisions are made by an Administrative Law Judge who generally lives in the same general area in which your claim is being filed, though some hearings in Western NC are conducted by closed circuit television by Judges who live all over the United States. The people likely to be present at the actual hearing are you, the Judge, a court reporter, and your lawyer. In some cases, the Administrative Law Judge has a medical doctor or vocational expert present to testify at the hearing. Social Security Disability hearings do not have jurors, spectators, or lawyers representing the Social Security Administration.