Pending SSDI Hearings Decline 33 Percent In Fiscal Year 2019

The Social Security Administration is reporting continued improvement in reducing the number of claimants waiting for a disability hearing decision.

The agency finished fiscal year (FY) 2019, ending September 30, 2019, with 575,421 hearings pending, below the agency’s target of 591,000. In comparison, there were 858,383 claimants waiting for a hearing decision at the end of FY2018, and more than one million at the end of FY2017.

In addition, the national average hearing wait time dropped by 89 days to 506 days in FY 2019, down from 595 days in FY2018, and 605 days in FY2017.

The reduction was in part affected by reinstatement of the Reconsideration appeal level in eight states in 2019, which delays a denied claimant’s progress to the hearing level.

The SSA stated in its latest performance plan that it will eliminate the hearing backlog and reduce the wait time below 270 in FY2021.