If you’re waiting for a Social Security disability hearing, the last few weeks before the hearing can feel like a scramble. Medical records are still coming in. A doctor’s office says it will “send them soon.” The hearing notice is sitting on the kitchen table, and the calendar suddenly looks much shorter than it did a month ago.
That’s where the five-day deadline becomes a serious issue.
For many Social Security disability hearings, the Social Security Administration says claimants generally have to inform SSA about written evidence or submit it no later than five business days before the scheduled hearing date. If that does not happen, the administrative law judge, or ALJ, may decline to obtain or consider the evidence unless a recognized exception applies, under 20 C.F.R. § 404.935, 20 C.F.R. § 416.1435, and SSA’s HALLEX guidance.
In practical terms, that deadline can affect whether important treatment notes, test results, opinion letters, or hospital records are part of the hearing file when the judge reviews the case.
In this post you’ll learn how to avoid missing the five-day deadline before an ALJ hearing, what “informing” SSA actually means, what to do when records are delayed, and when an exception may come into play.
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