Plain-English guides built from public Social Security Administration sources: SSA.gov, the Listing of Impairments, POMS and 20 CFR. Every figure carries the year it applies to, because these rules change.
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- The 5-Day Mail Rule: How SSA Counts Your Appeal Deadline
Learn how SSA’s 5-day receipt presumption under 20 CFR 404.901 affects the 60-day appeal period, how calendar days are counted, and how to show delayed receipt.
- The 5-Day Rule: Getting Evidence in Before Your Hearing
Learn how the 5-day rule under 20 CFR 404.935 works for disability hearings, what happens to late evidence, and why relying on postmarks can hurt your claim.
- The 60-Day Deadline to Sue SSA in Federal Court
Learn the 60-day deadline to sue the SSA in federal court under 20 CFR 422.210, the 5-day receipt presumption, filing steps, and how to request an extension.
- Requesting Accommodations for Your SSDI Hearing
Learn how to request SSDI hearing accommodations, from sign language interpreters and CART text services to wheelchair access and breaks, all at no cost.
- Adding a New Diagnosis to Your Appeal Before the Hearing
A new diagnosis after your SSDI denial can still reach the ALJ. Learn how to add the condition to the hearing issues and meet SSA's evidence deadlines.
- Adding a New Diagnosis During Reconsideration
Learn how to report a new diagnosis during your SSDI reconsideration appeal using Form SSA-3441, address its possible effect on your onset date, and submit supporting medical evidence.
- Claiming an ALJ Was Biased: How These Objections Work
Learn how ALJ bias objections work in SSDI cases under 20 CFR 404.940 and SSR 13-1p, why you must object early, and what the 2026 review standard requires.
- Why the ALJ Called a Medical Expert to Your Hearing
Learn why an ALJ calls a medical expert to an SSDI hearing, what the expert reviews, and how your treating physician's evidence can outweigh that testimony.
- The ALJ's Duty to Develop Your Hearing Record
Learn the ALJ's duty to develop your SSDI hearing record under 20 CFR 404.1512, the heightened pro se standard, and how record gaps support 2026 appeals.
- What Happens at an ALJ Hearing After an AC Remand?
After an Appeals Council remand, your SSDI claim returns to the hearing level for further proceedings. Learn who decides it, what the order binds, and how to prepare.
- Your ALJ Hearing Notice, Decoded: Exhibits, Issues, Experts
Decode your SSA notice of hearing under 20 CFR 404.938. Learn how to review exhibits, verify vocational experts, and correct errors before your ALJ hearing.
- How ALJs Use Hypothetical Questions with Vocational Experts
Learn how ALJs use hypothetical questions with vocational experts at SSDI hearings, why omitted restrictions matter most, and how a representative responds.