AI SSDI ALJ hearing prep coach

An ALJ hearing is an informal hearing before an administrative law judge, usually by video or phone, sometimes in person. You testify under oath about your conditions, your daily limits, and your work history. The judge asks most of the questions, reviews your medical file, and may ask a vocational expert about jobs. There is no jury and no lawyer on the other side. You get a written decision afterward, usually in weeks to a few months. The mock hearing room above lets you rehearse the question-and-answer rhythm before the real one. This is general information, not legal advice.

Most ALJ hearings run 30 to 60 minutes, though it varies by case. The judge works through your medical history, your daily activities, and your past work, then hears from the vocational expert if one is present. Short, specific answers about what you can and cannot do matter more than long explanations. Practice keeping answers under a minute.

Yes. You can bring a representative, an attorney or licensed disability representative, and witnesses who know your daily limits firsthand, such as a spouse or caregiver. Tell your hearing office ahead of time if a witness will attend, and tell witnesses to stick to what they personally see you do and struggle with each day.

Expect questions about your conditions and treatment, what a typical day looks like, how long you can sit, stand, walk, and lift, how often you need to rest, and what happened when you last tried to work. The judge may also ask about medications and side effects, and about jobs you held in the past 15 years. Answer in plain, concrete terms: what you do, how long it takes, and what forces you to stop. A one-minute opening statement framing your situation helps; the prep packet mode drafts one from your facts.

A vocational expert is a witness the judge calls to answer questions about jobs: what your past work required, and whether someone with your limits could do that work or other work. The judge asks the expert hypothetical questions based on your limits. You or your representative can ask the expert questions too, including whether the jobs they name actually exist in significant numbers. Prepare for the expert's questions with the hearing strategy mode.

Your medical records, treatment notes, test results, and imaging; statements from your treating doctors about what you can and cannot do; a record of medications and side effects; a work history with job duties and dates; and statements from people who see your daily limits. New evidence should reach the judge no later than five business days before the hearing. List what you have in the evidence section above; the packet turns it into a checklist.

SSA asks that written evidence be submitted no later than five business days before your hearing, so the judge has time to read it. Evidence that arrives later can still be considered, but you may need to explain why it is late, and the judge can decline it. Enter your hearing date above and the tool works out your five-business-day evidence deadline from it, but verify the date with your hearing office. This is general information, not legal advice.

No. This tool prepares you for a hearing from the facts you enter: strategy, a prep packet, and mock practice. It does not assess your case, predict the outcome, or cite law. For a close case or if anything sensitive comes up, review with a licensed disability representative or attorney before the hearing.