If you have a Social Security disability hearing scheduled, you should know that the cornovirus (COIVID-19) has turned the world upside down, and it will effect your disability case.
For starters, the Social Security Administration has closed all its offices indefinitely. So, you cannot walk into a Social Security office for a hearing. The same is true for federal courthouses, other federal buildings or similar places where hearings might once have been held.
The only way you might get a hearing is by telephone conference call. A judge sits in his or her office behind locked doors, while you sit at home or in your attorney's office, and talk over the telephone. The vocational witness will sit at his or her home and talk to the judge over the telephone, as well. If a medical expert is required to testify, the medical expert will be at home or in his or her office, speaking over the telephone.
No one knows how long this will last. The rule of thumb is, "It's going to get worse before it gets better." It may last 3 months, 6 months, 18 months....or longer. We don't know.
Now, here you sit, disabled with no income and needing your SSDI benefits. You're not in a position to wait months. What can you do?
You can contact Social Security (Yes, they still answer the phone), and ask what you need to do in order to take the next step. I find that most claimants in the Social Security disability process don't know what they are waiting on. They don't know what the next step is or how to get there.
It's really an especially great time to ask yourself again, "Do I really want to handle this by myself or get some help?"
I wouldn't dare answer that question for you. But I do think you owe it to yourself to ask yourself that question...and answer it.
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