Form HA-55: Objecting to Video or Phone Hearings

Form HA-55 is the Social Security Administration (SSA) form you use to object to appearing at your disability hearing by telephone or by agency video. You have 30 days after receiving SSA's Notice of Ways to Attend a Hearing to return it. If you object to both formats in time, SSA must schedule you to appear in person before the administrative law judge (ALJ), subject to a few narrow exceptions.

The form exists because of 20 CFR 404.936, which SSA rewrote in 2024. The regulation now recognizes four manners of appearance: audio, agency video, online video, and in person. Online video requires your affirmative agreement, but audio and agency video can be assigned to you unless you object in writing. Form HA-55 is how you object.

What Form HA-55 Is

SSA officially calls the form HA-55, Objection to Appearing by Audio or Agency Video. You do not request it separately. After you file Form HA-501, your Request for Hearing by Administrative Law Judge, SSA mails you a Notice of Ways to Attend a Hearing package, and that package includes the HA-55.

SSA's hearing guidance is explicit that you should complete and return the form only if you do NOT want to participate by audio or by agency video. If SSA does not receive the form, it may go ahead and schedule your hearing in one of those formats. Silence is not treated as a preference for an in-person hearing.

When the 30-Day Clock Starts

Under 20 CFR 404.936(d), you must notify SSA in writing within 30 days after the date you receive the notice. SSA's hearing pages describe the same rule as 30 days to send the form back. The clock runs from receipt, not from the date printed on the letter, but waiting is risky. Mark the date the package arrives, act within a week or two, and keep a copy of what you send.

This deadline is completely separate from other deadlines in your case. The 60-day deadline to file your Request for Hearing under 20 CFR 404.909 is already behind you at this stage, and the notice of hearing itself will arrive later, at least 75 days before the hearing date under 20 CFR 404.938(a).

Completing and Returning the Form

The form asks you to identify which manner of appearance you are rejecting. Read it slowly, because the checkboxes decide what happens next.

If you only object to audio, SSA may still schedule you by agency video, or by online video if you agree to it. If you only object to agency video, SSA may still schedule you by audio. To require an in-person hearing, you must object to both audio and agency video. Many claimants who wanted an in-person hearing received a phone hearing instead because they objected to only one format.

Return the form following the instructions in the notice package. If anything is unclear, call the hearing office whose number appears at the top right of SSA letters about your hearing. Keep a copy of the completed form and note the date you mailed it.

What Happens After You Object

If you object to both audio and agency video in writing within 30 days, and your residence does not change while your request for hearing is pending, SSA will schedule you to appear in person or, if you agree, by online video. That promise sits directly in 20 CFR 404.936(d).

The regulation also lists situations where SSA can override an objection. Under 20 CFR 404.936(d)(2), SSA can schedule audio even if you objected, when it cannot schedule agency video or online video and extraordinary circumstances prevent you from appearing in person. Under paragraph (d)(3), if you are incarcerated and video is not available, SSA will schedule audio. Paragraph (d)(5) preserves audio scheduling for the safety procedures in 20 CFR 404.937.

A change of residence can also undo your objection. Under 20 CFR 404.936(d)(4), if you move while your request for hearing is pending, SSA redetermines how you will appear, and it will only consider the new address if you submit evidence verifying it. If you move, send SSA proof of your new residence right away.

If You Miss the 30-Day Deadline

A late objection is not automatically dead, but it needs an explanation. Under 20 CFR 404.936(d)(1), SSA will extend the 30-day period if you show you had good cause for missing the deadline, applying the standards in 20 CFR 404.911. Those standards look at whether circumstances beyond your control, such as serious illness, a death in the family, or non-receipt of the notice, prevented timely filing.

SSA's hearing guidance tells claimants in this situation to contact the local hearing office as soon as possible. If you show good cause, SSA says it will reschedule your hearing using another available manner of appearance. Call, then follow up in writing, and keep notes of every conversation.

How HA-55 Relates to Form HA-56

Claimants often confuse the two forms in the notice package, so the distinction matters. Form HA-55 objects to audio and agency video appearances. Form HA-56, Agreement to Appearing by Online Video, does the opposite: it is how you opt in to an online video hearing from your own equipment using Microsoft Teams.

Under 20 CFR 404.936(e), you must agree in writing within 30 days after receiving the notice, and SSA will not schedule an online video hearing unless it receives your agreement. You may withdraw your agreement any time before the start of your hearing. So the system works in two directions: HA-55 pushes back against formats SSA can impose, and HA-56 invites a format SSA cannot impose.

Objecting to the Time or Place

Form HA-55 does not address when or where the hearing happens. Under 20 CFR 404.936(f), an objection to the time or place of the hearing must be in writing, made at the earliest possible opportunity, and no later than 5 days before the hearing date or 30 days after you receive the notice of hearing, whichever is earlier. You must state your reasons and the time or place you want.

The regulation at 20 CFR 404.936(g) lists examples that support a change, such as a serious condition that makes travel impossible, a death in the family, severe weather, or a representative appointed within 30 days of the hearing who needs more time to prepare. These requests go to the ALJ, not to the form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I send Form HA-55? Return it following the instructions in your Notice of Ways to Attend a Hearing package. If you are unsure where to send it, call the hearing office listed on any letter about your case.

Does Form HA-55 object to online video hearings? No. Under 20 CFR 404.936(e), SSA schedules an online video appearance only if you agree, using the separate Form HA-56 Agreement to Appearing by Online Video. HA-55 covers audio and agency video only.

What if more than 30 days have passed since I got the notice? Contact your hearing office immediately. Under 20 CFR 404.936(d)(1), SSA will extend the deadline if you show good cause under the standards in 20 CFR 404.911, and SSA's guidance says it will reschedule using another manner of appearance when good cause exists.

This article provides general information about Social Security Disability Insurance rules and is not legal advice. Program rules, administrative structures, and regulations change over time, and all figures reflect standards applicable in 2026. Consult a qualified representative or contact the Social Security Administration directly for guidance regarding your individual claim.