Nearly 2 million people live in the State of Arkansas. Of these nearly 2 million residents, approximately 7.5 percent receive monthly disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. Each year, thousands of new Arkansas residents will apply for Social Security Disability or submit new disability claims to the SSA. The unfortunate fact is that nearly 68 percent of these disability claims will be denied. From there, these applicants will then need to undergo the lengthy and often confusing disability appeal process in order to obtain the benefits they may be entitled to. In the first stage of appeals, called the Request for Reconsideration, more than 88 percent of Arkansas Social Security Disability applicants will again be denied disability benefits by the Social Security Administration. In most cases applicants wishing to obtain the disability benefits they need must stand before an Administrative Law Judge at a disability hearing.
On the upside, the majority of Arkansas Social Security Disability applicants are awarded benefits as a result of the hearing stage of the disability appeal process. In fact, nearly two-thirds of disability hearings are decided in favor of the disability applicant. The big problem is that it can take anywhere from 339 and 470 days for a Arkansas Social Security Disability applicant to get a hearing before an ALJ. It then takes several more months to find out whether or not the judge who heard your disability case decided in your favor. This means that the majority of Arkansas Social Security Disability applicants will wait more than two years from the date of their initial application before seeing their first benefit check from the Social Security Administration.
The major reason it takes so long for disability applicants to obtain a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge is the large backlog of cases being handled by the offices in charge of scheduling these types of hearings. The Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) is the agency that is responsible for scheduling hearings for disability applicants. The area of Arkansas that you live in will determine which ODAR office handles your disability case. The ODAR offices that schedule disability hearings for Arkansas Social Security Disability applicants are as follows:
- Fort Smith, Arkansas
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Dallas, Texas
- Shreveport, Louisiana
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
The ODAR office located in Fort Smith is responsible for overseeing the disability hearings for the Social Security field offices in Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Harrison and Russellville. On average it takes this office 416 days to schedule a disability hearing.
The ODAR office located in Little Rock is responsible for managing the disability hearings for the Social Security field offices in Batesville, Blytheville, Camden, Conway, El Dorado, Forrest City, Helena, Hot Springs, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Searcy and Texarkana. It takes this office an average of 470 days to schedule a disability hearing.
The ODAR office located in Dallas, Texas is responsible for scheduling the disability hearings for the Arkansas Social Security field offices in Texarkana and Pine Bluff. It takes this office an average of 339 days to schedule a disability hearing for Arkansas Social Security Disability applicants.
The ODAR office located in Shreveport, Louisiana is responsible for scheduling the disability hearings for the Arkansas Social Security field office located in Forrest City. It takes this office an average of 396 days to schedule a disability hearing.
The ODAR office located in Tulsa, Oklahoma is responsible for scheduling the disability hearings for the Arkansas Social Security field office in Fayetteville. It takes this office an average of 446 days to schedule a disability hearing for Arkansas Social Security Disability applicants.
Hiring a Arkansas Social Security Disability Attorney
Nobody likes the idea of waiting almost two years before being approved for disability payments from the Social Security Administration – especially when you really need benefits to make ends meet. Because of this, many Arkansas Social Security Disability applicants wonder if there is any feasible way to avoid the lengthy disability appeal process. Retaining the services of a qualified Arkansas Social Security Disability lawyer may be the best way to accomplish this.
When you work with a Arkansas Social Security Disability attorney, the attorney you hire will review your disability claim with you and will make sure that you are properly prepared. Your Arkansas Social Security Disability lawyer will also help you gather the necessary medical evidence to prove your disability claim to the Social Security Administration. If for some reason your claim for disability benefits is denied, your attorney will be able to help you file a successful appeal to overturn the SSA's decision to deny your disability benefits.
If your application for disability benefits is denied during the initial application stages, you and your lawyer will need to prepare for a hearing before an ALJ. Your lawyer will be able to advise you about what to expect at your hearing. and how you should answer the questions that will be asked by the Administrative Law Judge. It should be noted that you are allowed to represent yourself at this hearing, however, your chances of receiving a favorable decision are statistically higher with proper legal representation.
If your application for disability benefits has been denied, you should speak with an Arkansas Social Security Disability lawyer as soon as you can. You only have 60 days from the date you receive your notice to appeal the SSA's decision.
If you would like to learn more about hiring a Arkansas Social Security Disability attorney, click here to receive a free evaluation of your Social Security Disability case.
