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Virtual Appeal Hearings Now The Norm
Everyone has read about, or personally experienced, how long it takes to get an independent hearing by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) to adjudicate Social Security appeals. In some cases, it could take months or even years to get a hearing, due to the backlog of cases - a problem only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic which caused in-person appeal hearings to be suspended. In a recent announcement, the Social Security Administration now allows claimants to choose either a telephone hearing or a “virtual” hearing, the latter being conducted using any camera-equipped device with online access. This is a giant step forward for the convenience of claimants and may very well evolved to be the only option for ALJ hearings. Social Security’s announcement of this virtual option appears in this West Virginia News article. Click here to read more.
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