Social Security Disability Appeals: Field Office or Hearing Office?

Does a Social Security disability appeal go through my local field office, or a separate hearing office?

Updated September 2026

The four levels of appeal, and who handles each

Social Security's appeal process for a denied disability claim has four levels, and each one is handled by a different part of the agency — not always the office nearest you. Understanding which office handles which step keeps you from showing up at the wrong building, or assuming the person you spoke with at your local office is the one deciding your case.

Reconsideration: your local office files it, but doesn't decide it

The first step, reconsideration, is a complete reexamination of your claim by someone who had no role in the original decision — typically an examiner at your state's Disability Determination Services agency, not staff at your local Social Security field office. Your local field office is still where you start: it's the office that takes your reconsideration request, forwards your file, and answers general questions while the new examiner reviews it. (One state-specific exception: initial disability claims filed in New York skip reconsideration entirely and go straight to a hearing.) You generally have 60 days from the date you receive your denial notice (SSA presumes you received it 5 days after the date on the letter) to request reconsideration, in writing or online.

The hearing office is a different part of SSA

If reconsideration doesn't go your way, the next step is a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ), and this is where the office actually changes. Hearings are conducted by the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO), a separate part of SSA from the field office network, organized into 5 regional hearing hubs overseeing 158 hearing offices, 8 satellite offices, and 5 national hearing centers nationwide. More than 1,500 administrative law judges handle over 650,000 hearing decisions a year. Your hearing office is often a different building entirely from the field office where you applied (sometimes in a different city), though ALJs can also conduct a hearing by video from equipment set up at your local field office, so you may still end up walking into a familiar building even though the judge presiding isn't based there. SSA's Hearing Office Locator, separate from the standard field office locator this site uses, shows which hearing office serves your area.

What happens at the hearing

At your hearing, you (or a representative) can review your full file beforehand and submit new evidence, and the judge may question you or call witnesses, including a doctor or vocational expert. The hearing is recorded, and the judge issues a written decision afterward — not on the spot.

Appeals Council and federal court

If you disagree with the judge's decision, the third level, a review by the Appeals Council, is handled centrally rather than by any local or regional office — you request it in writing, and it isn't tied to your location at all. The final level, if you still disagree, is a civil action filed in a U.S. federal district court, which is part of the regular federal court system, not SSA.

Which office to call

Whatever the reason you're contacting SSA about an appeal (filing a reconsideration, checking on a pending request, or asking a general question about where your hearing will be held), your local field office is usually still the right first call. Use the location search on this site to find its address and phone number, and confirm which specific office or hearing location your paperwork is headed to before you assume it's the same building down the street.

The four appeal levels

1. 1 Reconsideration — reexamined by your state Disability Determination Services
2. 2 Hearing — before an ALJ at a separate Office of Hearings Operations
3. 3 Appeals Council review — handled centrally, not by any local office
4. 4 Federal district court — outside SSA entirely