SSA Office of Disability Adjudication and Review: how ODAR works

Last updated 2026-07-09

What is the SSA Office of Disability Adjudication and Review?

The Office of Disability Adjudication and Review, commonly called ODAR, is the SSA component that runs independent hearings and appeals when someone is denied Social Security disability benefits. In 2017 the SSA renamed it the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO), and later reorganizations folded it under a broader Office of Hearings and Appeals umbrella, sometimes abbreviated OHDAR. Most practitioners still say ODAR out of habit, and SSA staff know exactly what you mean.

ODAR is not where your claim starts. Your initial application goes to a state Disability Determination Services (DDS) office, which is funded by SSA but run by the state ^[1]. If DDS denies you, you request reconsideration, which also stays at DDS. Only after two denials do you request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at an ODAR hearing office. That request pulls your file out of the state DDS system and into the federal ODAR structure.

ODAR runs more than 160 hearing offices across the country, plus a handful of national hearing centers that handle cases by video ^[2]. The system employs roughly 1,500 ALJs. Each ALJ is an independent decision-maker. They can approve, deny, or partially approve your claim, and they can make findings the original DDS reviewers never considered. That independence is the main reason ALJ hearings produce meaningfully better outcomes than reconsideration.

For a plain-language primer on what SSDI actually is before you get into the appeals structure, see What Is SSDI?.

How did ODAR come to exist and why does it matter?

The hearing and appeals function dates to the Social Security Act itself, but the modern ODAR structure took shape after decades of backlogs and inconsistency that drew congressional scrutiny. In 1979 the SSA separated hearing operations from program administration to insulate ALJs from outcome pressure. That structural separation is why an ALJ at an ODAR office can overturn a DDS denial. They sit in a different organizational chain.

The agency keeps reorganizing. In 2017 SSA's then-commissioner renamed ODAR to the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) to clarify its function. Later the agency reshuffled hearings and appeals under a higher-level umbrella sometimes written as OHDAR. The sign on the building may read "Office of Hearings Operations," but the underlying legal process stays the same no matter which acronym the agency prefers this year.

Why should you care? Because knowing you're in front of a federal ALJ, not a state DDS reviewer, changes how you prepare. ALJ hearings are on-the-record proceedings governed by 20 CFR Part 404, Subpart J ^[3]. You have the right to see your complete file, submit new medical evidence, testify under oath, and present a legal argument. That is a different animal from the paper-only reconsideration review, where a stranger flips through your file and rubber-stamps the first denial.

What are the four levels of SSA disability appeals and where does ODAR fit?

SSA uses a four-step appeals ladder. ODAR handles steps three and four. The approval rate roughly doubles when you finally reach a judge, which is the whole reason people push through the earlier denials.

Level	Who decides	Where it happens	Approval rate (approx.)
Initial application	DDS reviewer	State DDS office	~21% [4]
Reconsideration	Different DDS reviewer	State DDS office	~2-13% [4]
ALJ hearing	Administrative Law Judge	ODAR hearing office	~45% [4]
Appeals Council review	AC judges	Falls Church, VA	~2-3% overturn [5]

If the Appeals Council denies you or issues an unfavorable decision, you can take your case to federal district court, but that is outside the ODAR structure entirely.

The jump in approval rates at the ALJ level is real and worth understanding. It exists partly because claimants who reach a hearing tend to have more developed medical records, partly because many hire representation by that stage, and partly because ALJs weigh evidence in ways a DDS grid-based review cannot. The 45 percent figure comes from SSA's own statistical data and has held broadly steady over the past decade, though it swings by hearing office, individual judge, and claimant demographics ^[4].

For context on SSDI vs. SSI and which appeals path applies to each, see SSDI vs SSI: What's the Difference?.

How do you request an ODAR hearing after a denial?

After a reconsideration denial you have 60 days plus a 5-day mail allowance (so effectively 65 days) to file a Request for Hearing by Administrative Law Judge using Form HA-501 ^[3]. Miss that deadline and SSA can dismiss your request, though you can ask for a good-cause extension if you have a real reason.

File the request online through SSA's iAppeals portal, in person at a local field office, or by mail. Online is faster and gives you a confirmation number. Once SSA receives your request, the file transfers to the assigned ODAR hearing office and you get an acknowledgment letter.

A few things happen before a hearing is ever scheduled. An ODAR staff attorney or case technician reviews the file. For some straightforward cases, SSA can issue a fully favorable decision on the record (OTR) without a hearing at all. That's more likely when you have a severe condition, a complete medical file, and a representative who submits a written OTR request. Not every case qualifies. But an OTR decision can shave months off the wait, so it's worth asking about early.

If OTR is denied, you wait for a hearing notice, which SSA sends at least 75 days before the hearing date ^[3]. The notice tells you the date, time, format (in-person, video, or phone), and the assigned ALJ. You can look up that judge's historical approval rate through SSA's hearing office statistics, which advocacy groups have compiled into searchable tools.

For help organizing your evidence before the hearing, a tool like DisabilityFiled can generate a structured claim summary that makes the submission cleaner.

How long does an ODAR hearing take to schedule?

This is the part that hurts. The national average wait from hearing request to decision at the ALJ level runs roughly 12 to 24 months, depending on the office ^[2]. Some offices move faster. Others, especially in high-volume urban areas, have run past 24 months.

SSA's stated goal is to decide cases within about a year of the hearing request, and it has cut backlogs from their worst point (the national average topped 600 days in 2017). Even so, the pending backlog sat near 1 million cases as of late 2023 ^[2].

What drives your specific wait: which hearing office your case lands in, whether you request in-person or video, and how fast you get your evidence in. Cases with complete, well-organized medical files tend to move to OTR review faster, which can end the wait before a hearing is ever scheduled.

If you have a terminal illness or other dire circumstances, request expedited handling under SSA's "dire need" policy or the Compassionate Allowances program ^[6]. Conditions on the Compassionate Allowances list can sometimes get decisions in weeks instead of years. See Social Security Compassionate Allowances Expansion for the current list.

What happens at an ALJ hearing?

An ALJ hearing is informal compared to a courtroom, but it's still a legal proceeding on the record. Most run 45 to 60 minutes. Here's the shape of it.

The ALJ opens by identifying the exhibits in your file and any new evidence you submitted. You testify about your conditions, your daily limitations, your work history, and why you can't do substantial work. The judge questions you directly. If you have a lawyer or non-attorney representative, they can also question you and make arguments.

Almost always, SSA calls a Vocational Expert (VE), a specialist who testifies about what jobs exist in the national economy and whether someone with your specific limitations could do them. The ALJ poses hypothetical questions to the VE. Your representative can cross-examine the VE, and this is often the moment the case turns. A skilled representative can poke holes in the VE's hypotheticals in ways that flip the outcome.

Sometimes a Medical Expert (ME) is present to testify about your records. You have the right to question the ME too.

After the hearing, the ALJ takes the record under advisement. SSA regulations say decisions should issue within 90 days of the hearing, but actual timing varies. The decision arrives by mail. A fully favorable decision triggers a Notice of Award and the calculation of your back pay and monthly benefit. An unfavorable or partially favorable decision explains the judge's reasoning and tells you how to appeal to the Appeals Council.

To understand how your monthly benefit is figured once you win, check What Is SSDI? and the SSDI payment schedule for 2025.

Do you need a lawyer for an ODAR hearing?

You're not required to have representation, but the data says you should get it. SSA's own research finds that represented claimants win at ALJ hearings more often than unrepresented ones ^[4]. An older SSA Office of Inspector General study put the gap at roughly 3 times higher; current studies show a smaller but still meaningful advantage.

Representation at the ALJ level comes in two forms. Attorneys who specialize in disability law work on contingency. They take 25 percent of your past-due benefits or $7,200, whichever is less, and SSA enforces that cap and pays the fee directly out of your back pay ^[7]. Non-attorney representatives work under similar terms. You pay nothing upfront and nothing if you lose.

Given those terms, there's almost no financial reason to go it alone at an ALJ hearing. The representative doesn't cost you anything extra. They take a share of back pay SSA would owe you anyway. That said, skill varies a lot. Experience with vocational expert cross-examination is the most valuable thing at this stage, so ask any representative you're considering how many ALJ hearings they handle a year and what their approval rate is.

For help finding qualified representation, see our overview of SSDI lawyers and U.S. law firms with Social Security disability practices.

What does ODAR review when deciding your case?

ALJs run SSA's five-step sequential evaluation process, codified at 20 CFR 404.1520 ^[3]. The steps, in order:

1. Are you doing Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)? In 2025, SGA is $1,620 per month for non-blind claimants ^[8]. If yes, you don't qualify. 2. Is your impairment severe? It must significantly limit your ability to do basic work activities. 3. Does your condition meet or equal a listed impairment in SSA's Blue Book (Listing of Impairments)? If yes, you're approved automatically ^[9]. 4. Can you do your past relevant work despite your limitations? 5. Can you do any other work that exists in significant numbers in the national economy?

At the ALJ level, the evidence that matters most is your medical record: treating physician notes, test results, imaging, functional capacity evaluations, and mental health records. The judge also weighs your age, education, and work history, because the Medical-Vocational Guidelines (the "Grid" rules) feed those into step five.

One thing ALJs weigh heavily is consistency across your sources. If your treating doctor says you can stand no more than two hours a day but SSA's consultative examiner found no limitations, the judge has to explain which one they credit and why. That explanation is exactly where the Appeals Council and federal courts hunt for errors. Inconsistent or unexplained ALJ reasoning is the most common ground for a remand from the federal courts.

For a closer look at how SSA defines disability in the first place, see What Counts as a Disability?.

What is the ODAR Appeals Council and when should you use it?

If the ALJ issues an unfavorable decision, your next step is requesting review by the Appeals Council (AC), which sits in Falls Church, Virginia. This is still inside the ODAR/OHDAR structure. You have 65 days from the decision date to file a Request for Review using Form HA-520.

The Appeals Council holds no hearings. It reviews the written record and the ALJ's written decision. The AC can deny review (the ALJ decision stands), issue its own decision, or remand the case to an ALJ for another hearing with specific instructions.

Honestly, the AC is a weak step for most claimants. It denies review in roughly 80 to 85 percent of cases and directly reverses an ALJ in only about 2 to 3 percent ^[5]. Its real value is as a gateway. You usually have to exhaust AC review before you can file in federal district court, and federal court remands are both more common and more useful than AC reversals.

So when is AC review worth pursuing? When the ALJ made a clear legal error, ignored a treating source opinion without explanation, or leaned on VE testimony that contradicted the Dictionary of Occupational Titles without resolving the conflict. Those are the errors federal judges notice too. If you're at this stage, you really do need an attorney, because federal court litigation sits outside the contingency-fee world and involves actual appellate briefing.

How can you find your local ODAR hearing office?

SSA runs a hearing office locator at ssa.gov. You enter your zip code and SSA shows the assigned office, address, phone number, and current processing times. Check the processing-time data. SSA publishes average days pending by office, and the spread is wide. In recent data, some offices average under 12 months while others have run past 18 ^[2].

You're generally assigned to a hearing office based on your address, but you can request a transfer if you move. If your medical situation is severe enough, you can request an expedited hearing or a hearing at a National Hearing Center by video, which sometimes has shorter waits than your local office.

Video hearings became far more common after 2020. They work fine for most claimants and don't appear to produce systematically different outcomes than in-person hearings, though some advocacy groups still prefer in-person when a claimant's credibility and demeanor carry the case. You have the right to object to a video hearing and demand in-person, but that usually stretches your wait.

Once you win and start receiving benefits, your payments come through SSA's standard schedule. See the SSDI payment schedule 2025 for exact dates, and SSI/SSDI debit cards and direct deposit for how to set up your payment method.

What are the most common reasons ODAR denies claims at the ALJ level?

Even at the ALJ level, about 55 percent of claimants lose. Knowing why helps you dodge the same outcome.

The most common reasons for ALJ denials:

Insufficient medical evidence. An ALJ can't rule in your favor if the record doesn't back your alleged limitations. Gaps in treatment do real damage, because SSA reads them as a sign your condition isn't as limiting as you say. Regular treatment, plus making sure those records actually reach ODAR, is the single most controllable factor you have.

Substantial Gainful Activity during the claimed period. If you worked and earned over the SGA limit during the period you claim disability, the judge stops at step one ^[3].

Vocational Expert testimony that jobs exist. If the VE identifies even a small number of jobs (SSA has accepted numbers as low as a few thousand nationally) that you could theoretically perform, the ALJ can deny at step five even when you can't do your past work.

Credibility findings. ALJs judge whether your reported limitations line up with the objective medical evidence and your daily activities. Inconsistencies sink claims. Tell the judge you can barely walk while posting active social media content, and you have a problem.

Failure to follow prescribed treatment without good reason. If your doctor recommends a treatment you're not following, SSA can use that against you unless you have a good reason (cost, religious objection, side effects).

For earlier-stage issues around work history and credits, see SSDI Work Credits Explained and the Social Security Disability 5-Year Rule.

If you're still in the application stage and haven't been denied yet, the SSDI application guide and how to qualify for SSDI will help you build the strongest possible initial claim, which cuts the odds you ever land at ODAR.

DisabilityFiled's guided intake tool helps you organize your medical history, work history, and functional limitations into a structured summary before you submit anything, which matters most at the hearing stage where the completeness of your file decides cases.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ODAR, OHO, and OHDAR?

They all point to the same SSA function. ODAR (Office of Disability Adjudication and Review) was the name from roughly 2006 to 2017. In 2017 SSA renamed it OHO (Office of Hearings Operations). Later reorganizations introduced OHDAR as an umbrella term. The underlying process, ALJ hearings and Appeals Council review, is identical under any name. When you call or visit, staff recognize all three.

How many ALJ hearing offices does SSA operate?

SSA operates more than 160 ALJ hearing offices across the United States, plus a smaller number of National Hearing Centers that handle cases by video. Your case is assigned to the office nearest your home address. You can find your assigned office and its current average processing times using the hearing office locator on ssa.gov.

What is the ODAR hearing approval rate?

Historically, about 45 percent of claimants who reach an ALJ hearing get a fully or partially favorable decision. That rate shifts over time and by hearing office. Individual ALJ approval rates vary widely too, from under 30 percent to over 70 percent for some judges. SSA publishes hearing office-level statistics, and advocacy groups have compiled ALJ-level data you can look up before your hearing.

Can you submit new medical evidence at the ODAR hearing stage?

Yes. You can and should submit all relevant medical records, including records developed after your initial application, up to five business days before the hearing. Submitting new evidence is one of the biggest advantages of the ALJ hearing stage over reconsideration. The ALJ must consider all evidence in the record, and a stronger medical file is the most reliable way to improve your outcome.

What happens if the ALJ approves your claim?

You receive a Notice of Award. SSA then calculates your monthly benefit based on your earnings record (for SSDI) or need assessment (for SSI) and determines your back pay, which covers the period from your established onset date through the decision date, minus a five-month waiting period for SSDI. Back pay can be substantial if your case took years. It's typically paid as a lump sum.

How long after an ALJ hearing do you get a decision?

SSA's regulatory goal is 90 days from the hearing date to a written decision, but actual timing varies. Many claimants get decisions within 60 to 120 days of the hearing. If you haven't heard within 90 days, you or your representative can contact the hearing office to ask about status. The decision arrives by mail and, if favorable, triggers the benefit calculation.

Can you request an on-the-record decision without a hearing?

Yes. After filing your hearing request, you or your representative can ask the ALJ to issue a fully favorable decision on the record (OTR) based on the written evidence alone, with no hearing. OTR decisions are granted when the evidence clearly supports approval. Not every case qualifies, but an approved OTR can cut months off the wait. Your representative should weigh this option early in the hearing-stage process.

What does a vocational expert do at an ODAR hearing?

A Vocational Expert (VE) is an independent specialist who testifies about the job market. The ALJ poses hypothetical questions describing a person with your specific limitations and asks whether such a person could perform your past work or any other jobs in the national economy. VE testimony often decides step-five cases. Your representative's ability to cross-examine the VE, challenging the hypotheticals or the job numbers, is frequently the most important part of the hearing.

What is the deadline to appeal an ALJ decision to the Appeals Council?

You have 65 days from the date of the ALJ decision (60 days plus a 5-day mail allowance) to file a Request for Review with the Appeals Council using Form HA-520. Miss it and the ALJ decision becomes final. You can request an extension for good cause, but you must do so in writing before the deadline expires. The Appeals Council is in Falls Church, Virginia, and holds no in-person hearings.

Does having a representative at an ODAR hearing really improve your chances?

The data consistently says yes. SSA research and independent studies find that represented claimants at ALJ hearings have significantly higher approval rates than unrepresented ones. Because disability attorneys work on contingency with fees capped by SSA at 25 percent of back pay or $7,200 (whichever is less), representation costs nothing upfront and nothing if you lose. Given that structure, going unrepresented at an ALJ hearing is rarely a good move.

What is Substantial Gainful Activity and how does it affect an ODAR hearing?

Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) is the earnings threshold SSA uses to decide whether you're working at a level that disqualifies you from benefits. In 2025, the SGA limit is $1,620 per month for non-blind claimants. If you earned more than SGA during any month in your claimed disability period, the ALJ stops at step one and denies your claim for that period, no matter your medical condition.

Can ODAR consider a condition that wasn't in your original application?

Yes. At the ALJ hearing stage you can raise additional impairments that weren't in your original application, as long as they were present during the claimed disability period. Submit updated medical records documenting the condition. The ALJ must evaluate all severe impairments, alone and in combination, when assessing your residual functional capacity. A well-documented added impairment can strengthen a case denied on the original basis.

What happens if you miss the 60-day deadline to request an ODAR hearing?

Your right to a hearing lapses and the reconsideration denial becomes final. You can ask SSA to extend the deadline for good cause (serious illness, death in the family, SSA gave you wrong information, and so on), but you must file the late request with a written explanation. If SSA denies good cause, your options are to restart the application or challenge the finality determination in federal court, which is legally difficult.

Sources

1. SSA.gov, Disability Determination Process: Initial disability applications are evaluated by state Disability Determination Services (DDS) offices, which are funded by SSA but administered by each state.
2. SSA Office of Hearings Operations, Hearing Office Locator and Workload Data: SSA operates more than 160 hearing offices; national average wait times at the ALJ level have ranged from 12 to over 24 months depending on office, with a pending backlog of roughly 1 million cases as of late 2023.
3. Code of Federal Regulations, 20 CFR Part 404 Subpart J: ALJ hearing procedures, including the 60-day appeal deadline, 75-day hearing notice requirement, and five-step sequential evaluation process, are codified at 20 CFR Part 404, Subpart J and 20 CFR 404.1520.
4. SSA Office of the Inspector General, Disability Decisions Outcomes Report: SSA approval rates are approximately 21% at initial application, 2-13% at reconsideration, and approximately 45% at the ALJ hearing level; represented claimants have significantly higher approval rates than unrepresented claimants.
5. SSA Office of Policy, Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program: The SSA Appeals Council denies review in approximately 80-85% of cases and directly reverses ALJ decisions in only about 2-3% of cases.
6. SSA.gov, Compassionate Allowances: Conditions on the SSA Compassionate Allowances list can receive expedited processing, sometimes in weeks rather than the standard months-long timeline.
7. SSA.gov, Representing Claimants and Fee Rules: SSA caps attorney and representative fees at 25% of past-due benefits or $7,200, whichever is less, and directly withholds and pays the fee from any approved back pay award.
8. SSA.gov, Substantial Gainful Activity: The Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) threshold for non-blind disability claimants in 2025 is $1,620 per month.
9. SSA.gov, Disability Evaluation Under Social Security (Blue Book): SSA's Blue Book (Listing of Impairments) defines the medical criteria under which a claimant can be automatically approved at step three of the sequential evaluation process.
10. SSA.gov, Program Operations Manual System (POMS): POMS DI 22510 governs internal SSA procedures for ALJ hearings, including evidence submission rules and on-the-record decision requests.