Video and Phone Disability Hearings: What to Know

Short answer: most Social Security disability hearings now happen by phone or video rather than in a hearing room, but you are not stuck with whatever the Social Security Administration (SSA) proposes. You can object to appearing by phone (audio), you can object to appearing by video on SSA's equipment (agency video), and an "online video" hearing on your own phone or computer only happens if you agree to it. You just have to say so in writing, generally within 30 days after you receive your notice of hearing.

Why so many hearings are now remote

Before 2020, most SSA disability hearings before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) were held in person or, in some areas, by video from an SSA office. The pandemic pushed SSA to add telephone hearings and, later, "online video" hearings you can join from home on your own device. Those options helped a lot of people — no travel, no waiting room, no arranging a ride — and SSA kept them. A final rule effective November 23, 2024 set out clear procedures for how each type of appearance gets scheduled and how you can object. The same framework applies to SSDI and SSI hearings alike.

There are four ways to appear at a hearing:

• Audio (telephone): a phone or similar audio call, from a private place you choose.
• Agency video: a video hearing using SSA's own equipment, in one of SSA's offices.
• Online video: a video hearing on your own smartphone, tablet, or computer, from a private place you choose.
• In person: you appear physically before the judge in the hearing room.

Your right to object — and the deadline that matters

SSA generally mails your notice of hearing at least 75 days before the hearing date, and the notice will say how you are scheduled to appear. Here is what you can do about it:

• If you are scheduled for an audio (phone) hearing or an agency video hearing, you can object in writing.
• Online video never happens without your agreement. SSA will not schedule you to appear on your own device unless you agree in writing, and you can withdraw that agreement any time before the hearing starts.
• If you object to both audio and agency video, and you have not agreed to online video, SSA will generally schedule you to appear in person. One narrow exception exists: if agency video and online video are not available to you and extraordinary circumstances prevent you from appearing in person, SSA may direct that you appear by audio.

The deadline: you must generally notify SSA in writing within 30 days after the date you receive the notice of hearing. This is the single most important thing to take from this article. If you miss it, SSA can extend the time if you show good cause — the same good-cause standard used elsewhere in the appeals process — but that is not guaranteed, so do not wait.

Objecting to the time or place of your hearing is a separate request with its own, tighter timing — make any such objection at the earliest possible opportunity, and do not sit on it.

Missing the 30-day window does not cost you your hearing or your appeal rights. It only means you may not get the manner of appearance you would have preferred, and you would need to show good cause to change it later.

How to decide what's right for you

There is no universally "better" choice — it depends on your situation and your case.

An in-person hearing may help if:

• Your physical limitations are part of your story — how you move, sit, stand, or use an assistive device.
• You have trouble hearing on a phone or through a screen, even with accommodations.
• A cognitive or memory impairment makes following a remote conversation harder.
• You need an in-person interpreter, or you are simply more comfortable communicating face to face.
• You feel you will do better, or feel more heard, appearing in the room.

A phone or video hearing may be easier if:

• Travel is physically difficult, expensive, or requires help you do not reliably have.
• Getting to the hearing office would itself be exhausting or worsen your symptoms (chronic pain, fatigue, anxiety, agoraphobia).
• You do not have reliable transportation, or you live far from the hearing office.
• You would rather be scheduled sooner — remote hearings can sometimes come up faster where in-person slots are limited.

If you have a representative — an attorney or an SSA-authorized non-attorney representative — talk this over with them. They can help you weigh the format against the medical evidence in your particular file.

What to do

1. Read your notice of hearing as soon as it arrives and note how you have been scheduled to appear.
2. Decide right away whether you want something different. Do not wait until the hearing date is close.
3. Put your objection, or your agreement to online video, in writing and send it to the hearing office listed on your notice within 30 days after you receive the notice. Keep a copy and proof that you sent it (fax confirmation, mailing receipt, or an online submission confirmation).
4. If you miss the deadline, contact the hearing office promptly, explain why, and ask that your late request be accepted for good cause.
5. Confirm the final arrangement with the hearing office or your representative before the hearing date, especially if the notice is ever updated.

Getting ready for a phone or video hearing

A remote hearing is still a real hearing, with a judge, a recorded record, and testimony that becomes part of your case file. Treat it that seriously.

• Test your setup ahead of time. For online video, check your camera, microphone, and internet connection before the day if the system allows it, and make sure your device is charged or plugged in.
• Pick a quiet, private room where you will not be interrupted by other people, pets, or deliveries. Let anyone else in the home know not to walk in.
• Have your file in front of you — your application, your list of treating sources, and a written list of your medications, dosages, and prescribing doctors. You may be asked about any of these.
• Speak one at a time. Phone and video connections make it easy to talk over someone by accident, which creates a garbled record. Wait for a pause before you answer.
• Say something the moment you cannot hear, cannot see, or the connection breaks. Do not guess at a question and hope it worked out. Say clearly, "I'm sorry, I lost you for a moment," or "I couldn't hear that question." An incomplete record is something you or your representative can point to later — but only if it is on the record that the problem happened.
• Have a backup way to reconnect. Know the hearing office's phone number and keep it somewhere you can grab it quickly.

A word of caution

Whether your hearing is in person, by phone, or by video, the judge decides your case on the medical evidence and your honest testimony — not on how polished the format feels. Answer questions truthfully and describe your symptoms and limitations as they actually are, on both good days and bad days. Never let anyone coach you to exaggerate, to leave out work you have done, or to withhold information to make your case sound stronger. That can be treated as fraud, it is a crime, and it can permanently damage an otherwise legitimate claim.

If you work with a representative, remember that a legitimate one is paid out of past-due benefits only after SSA approves the fee — never a large fee demanded up front, and never in exchange for a "guaranteed approval" promise. Be wary of anyone who asks for advance payment or claims they can guarantee an outcome.

Where to check the rules yourself

• SSA: Appeal a decision we made — the hearing process and how to file appeals.
• 20 CFR 404.936 (SSDI) and 20 CFR 416.1436 (SSI) — the regulations on time, place, and manner of appearance.

This article is general information, not legal or medical advice, and it does not create a representative or attorney-client relationship. For help with your specific case, talk with an SSA-authorized representative, a local legal aid office, or your state's protection-and-advocacy agency.