The Appeals Council is now connected to Social Security’s electronic system. So now it is possible to check on the status of an Appeals Council request for review at the local Social Security office.
I checked on the cases I have at the Appeals Council from the Saco, Maine office this week. It took less than a minute. It is very efficient to check the status at the local office, which is oriented towards customer service.
An Appeals Council request for review may also be filed at the local office.