Here, we are going to take a closer look at video hearings and social security disability. Typically, you go to a hearing office at Social Security, and you would have a live, in-person meeting with the judge. However, another option is to have a video hearing. This means that the judge is located in another jurisdiction, usually another state, and they see you and your lawyer on a big video screen, and you and your lawyer see the judge and their assistant on a big video screen. The interaction between yourself and the judge is pretty much the same. The judge asks the same kinds of questions that they would in-person.
Over the past several years, video hearings have become more and more compatible with the standard process of Social Security disability cases, so much so that they are now considered the default option for Social Security disability hearings. This means that unless you explicitly state your wishes to have your hearing be done in-person, they will assume that you are okay with doing a video hearing. One of the biggest benefits of proceeding with a video hearing is that you will most certainly receive a hearing date much faster.
There are certain downsides to video hearings. Typically, when doing a video hearing, the judge in the hearing will be a judge from another state. Because of this, your attorney will most likely not have a standing relationship with the judge. Also, there may be evidence or important information in your case that would benefit from a judge seeing in-person. If this is the case, your attorney may advocate for an in-person hearing and object to a video hearing.
As with anything pertaining to your case, you will want to talk it over with your attorney and make sure that you are making the best decision for your case and yourself.
About Disability Associates
Our team at Disability Associates views our clients as more than just another case. We build genuine relationships with each and every one of our clients to ensure that they are comfortable during this stressful time. We value honesty, good communication, and compassion, and implement these values with every client we have. In building these relationships, our clients trust that we will provide competent representation and will do our best to get them the Social Security benefits they deserve.