Preparing for Social Security Disability Hearings in DC
In other posts, we have shown pictures of the inside and outside of Hearing offices used by the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission and Trial Courts. However, the Federal Government does not usually allow us to take cameras into the court rooms. In this post we hope to take some of the mystery out of disability Hearings in the District of Columbia. While we encourage our disabled clients to see OTHER hearings in advance of their own “day in court,” it is very hard to see a Social Security case because the Hearings are held in a building that is not easily found tucked away behind Union Station in the Nation’s capitol. Here I am in front of the CNN Building, 820 First Street, NE in Washington, D.C., where Social Security Disability Hearings are heard by Administrative Law Judges (“ALJs”) on the 8th floor. Here I am in front of the Cafe on the ground floor of the building where Social Security Disability ALJ Hearings are held. I often meet with clients here before their case is heard, or after, in order to debrief them, their family members and witnesses. There is no parking at the building. The Metro at Union Station is 2 blocks away, but many of our disabled clients have difficulty managing even the Metro. That is why at the “Pre-Hearing” meeting at our office, we take the time to discuss how to get to the hearing, how to handle the hearing and what to expect afterwards.