Ssa Office of Hearings/Appeals

The Office of Disability Adjudication and Review is responsible for holding hearings and issuing decisions as part of the Social Security Administration's process for determining whether or not a person may receive benefits. ODAR directs a nationwide field organization staffed with administrative law judges who conduct impartial de novo hearings and make decisions on appealed determinations involving retirement, survivors, disability and supplemental security income. Through the Appeals Council, ODAR also reviews ALJ decisions on appeal by claimants or on its own motion and issues the final agency decision on such cases. ODAR is one of the largest administrative adjudicative systems in the world. Within ODAR, more than 1,100 administrative law judges enter over 500,000 decisions at the hearing level. At the last decisional level, the Appeals Council renders the agency's final decision.

There are two primary organizational components within ODAR, the Office of the Chief Administrative Law Judge and the Office of Appellate Operations. The Office of the Chief Administrative Law Judge is the principal consultant and advisor to the deputy commissioner on all matters concerning the ALJ hearing process and all field operations. The Office of Appellate Operations consists of the Appeals Council and its support staff. It is a key advisor to the deputy commissioner on program operations matters, adjudicative trends at both the administrative appeals and court levels and related ODAR functions. The Office of Disability Adjudication and Review maintains a location in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.