Here in the Boston Region, we receive 75-day notice before a Social Security disability hearing by an administrative law judge.

Once a request for hearing is processed, the claimant receives a routine form letter from the hearing office that sets the stage for an eventual hearing. The letter starts like this:

Thank you for your request for a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). This letter explains the hearing process and things that you should do now to get ready for your hearing. We will mail a Notice of Hearing to you at least 75 days before the date of your hearing to tell you its time and place.

We have found that this language is sometimes misconstrued by claimants, who read it quickly and think that their hearing will be held in about 75 days, rather than that they will receive 75-day notice of the hearing when the time comes.

So let's be clear, after a Social Security ODAR receives your hearing request, your ALJ hearing will take much longer than 75 days to schedule. How much longer depends upon where you live, and the current processing time of your hearing office. But you should plan on about a year to elapse from the time a hearing is requested to your actual hearing date.

In the meantime, of course, there are steps you can take to make your claim stronger.