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Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR)
Once a Request for Hearing has been filed, your claim will be sent to your local Office of Disability Adjudication and Review, or ODAR (once called “Office of Hearings and Appeals"). At that point an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) is assigned to your file and your claim is ready to be scheduled. It takes awhile for your hearing to be scheduled (6-18 months or even longer), at which point you will be notified of the date and time. Your file will have been prepared, organized, and the ALJ will have reviewed the evidence presented.
The hearing will likely take place at the ODAR, which should be within 1-2 hours of your residence. In some cases, a video hearing is necessary and allows the ALJ to see and speak with the claimant at a location even closer to home. If you are unable to appear at the hearing, notify the ODAR immediately. They may reschedule for a more convenient time or place, or they may decide to hold the hearing without you present. If you do not show up at your appointed time and do not notify the ODAR in advance, the ALJ will likely deny your claim.
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