How do I appeal a decision on disability benefits by Social Security?

If your initial claim for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is denied, you have multiple opportunities to challenge that decision. And while pursuing an appeal can take months, even years, you do have some chance of succeeding. Among workers who were awarded SSDI benefits from 2013 to 2022, nearly a third were applicants who appealed after first being turned down, according to the most recent available data from the Social Security Administration (SSA).

There are four stages in the appeal process.

1. Reconsideration

Medical eligibility for disability benefits is reviewed by state-level Social Security agencies called Disability Determination Services (DDS). If they reject your claim, your first recourse is to ask the SSA to reconsider. You can file for reconsideration online or by filling out forms SSA-561, SSA-3441 and SSA-827 and sending or bringing them to your local Social Security office. (If you want to deliver them by hand, call 800-772-1213 to make an appointment.)

In a reconsideration, an examiner and medical team from your state DDS who were not involved in the initial review take a fresh look at your claim. You can provide additional evidence, such as records of more recent medical examinations or treatment, and point out evidence that DDS may have missed the first time around. The examiners may request additional information themselves.

According to the SSA, the average wait for a reconsideration decision was 241 days, or about eight months, as of August 2025. The reversal rate — the share of applicants whose reconsideration request yields a benefit approval — is 16 percent, the agency says.

2. Hearing before an administrative law judge

If DDS won't change its mind, you can request a hearing with an administrative law judge (ALJ), who will review the evidence in your case and listen to your testimony and that of expert witnesses. To request a hearing, use the online appeal system or complete form HA-501 and return it to Social Security. You can choose to have your hearing in person, by phone or via online video.

Be prepared for it to take a while to get a hearing date: In July 2025, average wait times in the country's 165 regional Social Security hearing offices ranged from 6 to 17 months.

Disability hearings generally last less than an hour but can run longer if there are multiple witnesses. Afterward, it can take anywhere from several weeks to several months to get a decision. The approval rate for applicants at the hearing stage has averaged around 50 percent since 2020, according to Social Security data.