About 23.9% of Pennsylvania adults have a disability affecting their ability to work. The most affected group of adults with a disability are those aged above 65.
While multiple disabilities prevent residents from working, the two prominent types in Pennsylvania are mobility-related and cognitive disabilities.
Fortunately, Pennsylvania offers several disability benefits programs to cater to disabled adults’ medical needs.
The reason behind the state’s heavy investment in wellness is that disabled residents in Pennsylvania are twice at risk of inactivity. Moreover, 32.3% of disabled residents are smokers, and 42.3% are obese, exceeding the national average.
One such disability benefits program is Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). This post will discuss everything about Social Security local to Pennsylvania, how to qualify for these benefits, and the application process. Read on to learn more.
How Do I Qualify for Social Security Benefits in Pennsylvania
All states have the same eligibility criteria because Social Security Disability (SSD) is a federal program. However, for Pennsylvania claimants, a state agency in Pennsylvania reviews the initial disability application once the local SSA makes a rough evaluation of the application.
Generally, for Social Security Disability, one must have first worked in a job that is covered by Social Security. Then, they must have a medical condition that falls under Social Security’s definition of disability.
According to Pennyslvania’s Department of Labor and Industry, the applicant must have worked and paid Social Security taxes for enough years to be covered under Social Security insurance and should be a worker or the worker’s adult child or widow(er), considered medically disabled, and not working but earning less than the substantial gainful activity (SGA) level.
If you can still work in some capacity, you may qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) which offers support to senior residents and disabled workers with little to no income.
Requirements for SSI include: having little to no income; being a U.S. Citizen or other requirements for non-citizens; having a medical disability; being a resident of one of the 50 States, filing an appliaction, and others.
How Do I Apply for Social Security Benefits in Pennsylvania?
You can apply for Pennsylvania Social Services in three main ways:- First, you can submit an effortless application from the comfort of your home online at the SSA website. You must complete the Form SSSA-16 application and submit medical records and supporting documents electronically.
Second, you can visit your local Pennsylvania Social Security office to apply in person. Use the SSA Field Office Locator to find the nearest office.
If either of these options is a bit difficult, you may consider calling the national SSA number at (800) 772-1213 to apply.
Some documents you may need to complete your application include your birth certificate and Pennsylvania Social Security Number, physician’s contact information, work history, marriage or divorce certificate, and bank information.
What Happens After I Apply for Social Security Benefits in Pennsylvania?
The Social Security Administration first reviews applications for disability benefits to determine if the basic requirements of eligibility are met. Eligible applications are then forwarded to the BDD for determination of an applicant’s medical eligibility for disability benefits under the Social Security law.
The BDD is a state agency under the Pennsylvania Department of Labor Industry and is responsible for determining the medical eligibility of SSDI applicants.
Medical evidence is requested and reviewed from the applicant’s doctors, hospitals and other institutions that provide medical treatment. Information that may be requested from your doctor includes:
- What your medical condition is;
- When your medical condition began;
- How your medical condition limits your activities;
- What the medical tests have shown; and
- What treatment you have received
BDD may also ask the doctors for information about your ability to do work-related activities, such as walking, sitting, lifting, carrying and remembering instructions. Your doctors are not asked to decide if you are disabled.
For children, information may be requested from medical sources, school sources and other people who know about the child.
If additional information is necessary, special examinations, at no cost to the applicant, will be scheduled to obtain the required information.
The claims examiner may also seek professional advice from a vocational expert. These individuals understand job requirements and limitations caused by various disabilities.
The vocational expert will compare your work history to medical records to inform whether there are jobs that you can do despite your disability.
The final decision on your disability status will be made when all the information has been gathered. You will receive a written notice informing you whether or not you have been approved for benefits.
If the BDD finds you disabled, the notice will inform you how much you will get in monthly benefits and when you will start receiving them.
If declared not disabled, the mail notice will explain the reasons and tell you how to file an appeal.
Appealing a Denial for Social Security Benefits in Pennsylvania
In case of a denied application, you can rightfully appeal through a Social Security disability hearing.
The Pennsylvania Social Security Administration shortened the appeals process by removing the first level of appeals, the reconsideration step. The reconsideration was reinstated in April 2019, but there are no records of approvals at this level yet.
The second stage of the appeal is the Social Security disability hearing. The Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) will schedule your hearing before an Administration Law Judge to review your case.
You must present new evidence and witness statements or testimony at the hearing. Hearings are primarily held in person at one of the local hearing offices, but you can also attend through a teleconference.
Having an attorney at the hearing stage is paramount. Their knowledge and expertise are needed at the hearing to increase your chances of being approved for benefits.
Still, the ALJ may deny your claim. At this point, you may request the Social Security Appeals Council to review your case. The Council reviews decisions made at the other three junior levels to determine if they made a mistake.
If they reject your request, your final option is to file a lawsuit at the federal district court. There are three district courts in Pennsylvania – Western District, Eastern District, and Middle District. Choose one near you when filing your federal lawsuit.
Overall, the appeals process is complicated. Having a Pennsylvania Social Security disability attorney on your side is essential to guide you throughout the process.
Pennsylvania SSDI Hearing Wait Times & Average Approval Rate
Pennsylvania is in Region 3 (Philadelphia), which serves Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.
The average wait time for a disability hearing in Pennsylvania is 15 months. While this is lower than the national average of 19 months, it is still long.
But since a hearing allows you to present new evidence, the approval rate at the hearing is much higher than initial application approvals. Pennsylvania’s approval rate at hearings even exceeds the national average.
ALJs approve about 50% of disability applicants, which is much above the 45% national average. At the hearing, the judges give partially favorable decisions to 17% of the applicants, while 83% get fully favorable decisions.
Those who have a legal representative stand a better chance of getting fully favorable outcomes.
So, don’t dive into the appeals process alone if your SSD application is denied. Hire an experienced local Social Security Disability lawyer to represent you.
How Do I Contact the Pennsylvania Social Security Office Near Me?
There are 56 Social Security Field Offices in Pennsylvania. These offices deal with all SSDI and SSI concerns.
Below is a list of all Pennsylvania Field Offices. You may call or visit your local one if you have any questions regarding the application process or qualifications or want to know the status of your application.
SSA Field Office |
Physical Address |
Phone Number |
| Meadville SSA Office | 19063 Park Ave Plaza Meadville, PA 16335 |
(888) 347-9276 |
| Phila South SSA Office | 3336 S Broad Street Stadium Plaza Philadelphia, PA 19145 |
(877) 575-5191 |
| Bloomsburg SSA Office | 700 Market St Bloomsburg, PA 17815 |
(866) 526-9847 |
| Phila Aramingo SSA Office | 3400 Aramingo Ave Imperial Plaza Philadelphia, PA 19134 |
(855) 248-0233 |
| Phila-Downtown | 1500 JFK Blvd 20th Floor 2 Penn Ctr Ste 2000A Philadelphia, PA 19102 |
(866) 613-3969 |
| Pitts Dt SSA Office | 921 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15222 |
(866) 770-2965 |
| Scranton SSA Office | 409 Lackawanna Avenue Oppenheim Bldg 1st Flr Scranton, PA 18503 |
(866) 635-0767 |
| Reading SSA Office | 201 Penn St Ste 200 Reading, PA 19601 |
(866) 274-5960 |
| Harrisburg SSA Office | 555 Walnut Street Suite 810 Harrisburg, PA 17101 |
(888) 327-1176 |
| Erie SSA Office | 717 State St Highmark Bldg Ste 500 Erie, PA 16501 |
(877) 405-2887 |
| Hazleton SSA Office | 88 S Laurel St Hazleton, PA 18201 |
(866) 388-9878 |
| Altoona SSA Office | 303 Cayuga Ave Altoona, PA 16602 |
(888) 245-5368 |
| Lancaster SSA Office | 1808 Colonial Village Ln Suite 101 Lancaster, PA 17601 |
(888) 384-9919 |
| Allentown SSA Office | 41 N 4Th St Allentown, PA 18102 |
(877) 405-6746 |
| New Castle SSA Office | 1708 Wilmington Rd New Castle, PA 16105 |
(866) 331-5286 |
| Cranberry SSA Office | 80 Regina Dr Cranberry, PA 16319 |
(888) 848-6464 |
| Uniontown SSA Office | Fayette Plaza 627 Pittsburgh Road Uniontown, PA 15401 |
(866) 320-7459 |
| Wilkes-Barre SSA Office | 7 N Wilkes Barre Blvd Stegmaier Bldg, St 102 Wilkes Barre, PA 18702 |
(866) 686-9505 |
| Johnstown SSA Office | 334 Washington St Suite 225 Johnstown, PA 15901 |
(866) 331-7128 |
| Williamsport SSA Office | 240 West 3rd St Suite 100 Williamsport, PA 17701 |
(866) 558-2572 |
| York SSA Office | 2670 Industrial Hwy Suite 2 York, PA 17402 |
(888) 329-5732 |
| Chester SSA Office | 807 Crosby Street Chester, PA 19013 |
(866) 398-1456 |
| Phila Germantown SSA Office | 701 East Chelten Ave Philadelphia, PA 19144 |
(866) 495-0255 |
| Phila Northeast SSA Office | 9300 Ashton Rd Philadelphia, PA 19114 |
(866) 331-7840 |
| Pottsville SSA Office | 2221 W Market Street Suite 200 Pottsville, PA 17901 |
(866) 269-0880 |
| McKeesport SSA Office | 540 5Th Ave McKeesport, PA 15132 |
(866) 964-2037 |
| Ambridge SSA Office | 350 Logan Ln Baden, PA 15005 |
(866) 331-6401 |
| Greensburg SSA Office | 122 W 3rd Street Greensburg, PA 15601 |
(877) 748-9768 |
| New Kensington | 707 5Th Ave New Kensington, PA 15068 |
(888) 377-4710 |
| Washington SSA Office | 95 W Beau St Suite 515 Washington, PA 15301 |
(855) 829-8917 |
| Norristown SSA Office | 1700 Markley Street Suite 120 Norristown, PA 19401 |
(866) 964-6305 |
| Du Bois SSA Office | 302 Liberty Blvd Dubois, PA 15801 |
(888) 491-1884 |
| Easton SSA Office | 134 S Fourth St Easton, PA 18042 |
(866) 964-5056 |
| Phila University City | 4240 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 |
(877) 445-9977 |
| Pitts East Liberty SSA Office | 6117 Station St Pittsburgh, PA 15206 |
(877) 405-3575 |
| Sharon SSA Office | 2380 Garden Way Hermitage, PA 16148 |
(877) 467-1702 |
| Selinsgrove SSA Office | 150 Susq Vly Mall Dr Selinsgrove, PA 17870 |
(866) 593-3796 |
| Fairless Hills SSA Office | 444 Lincoln Hwy Fairless Hills, PA 19030 |
(866) 964-7318 |
| Chambersburg SSA Office | 50 N Third Street Chambersburg, PA 17201 |
(866) 656-5367 |
| State College SSA Office | 901 University Dr Suite 2 State College, PA 16801 |
(866) 864-1516 |
| West Chester SSA Office | 1101 West Chester Pike West Chester, PA 19382 |
(888) 306-3216 |
| Indiana SSA Office | 1265 Wayne Ave Suite 310 Prof Center Indiana, PA 15701 |
(877) 405-7679 |
| Butler SSA Office | 102 Woody Dr Butler, PA 16001 |
(877) 583-4102 |
| Lebanon SSA Office | 924 Russell Drive Lebanon, PA 17042 |
(866) 716-9635 |
| Rostraver SSA Office | 800 Plaza Dr Suite 320 Rostraver Twp, PA 15012 |
(866) 931-4826 |
| Upper Darby SSA Office | 8645 West Chester Pike Upper Darby, PA 19082 |
(866) 964-0780 |
| Phila-Nicetown | 2929 North Broad St Philadelphia, PA 19132 |
(877) 319-0727 |
| Mt Lebanon SSA Office | 650 Washington Rd Ste 120 Pittsburgh, PA 15228 |
(888) 717-1525 |
| Carlisle SSA Office | 200 S Spring Garden St Carlisle, PA 17013 |
(866) 635-0507 |
| Lewistown SSA Office | 208 West 3rd Street Lewistown, PA 17044 |
(888) 306-4336 |
| East Stroudsburg SSA Office | 9090 Franklin Hill Rd Ste 101 East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 |
(888) 835-6169 |
| Bethlehem SSA Office | 555 Main St Bethlehem, PA 18018 |
(866) 783-7458 |
| Monroeville SSA Office | 400 Oxford Drive Suite 210 Monroeville, PA 15146 |
(888) 527-9339 |
| Pottstown SSA Office | 80 Robinson St Pottstown, PA 19464 |
(866) 964-7415 |
| Towanda SSA Office | 1 Elizabeth Street Suite 1 Towanda, PA 18848 |
(888) 841-6546 |
| Kittanning SSA Office | 159 Butler Rd Highland Bus. Ctr Ste 1 Kittanning, PA 16201 |
(877) 255-1372 |
Get Legal Help Applying for Social Security Benefits in Pennsylvania
If you cannot work due to medical issues, you can file for Social Security disability benefits. But the process is long and complicated, so you may need to consult with a lawyer.
A lawyer can file the initial claim for you, manage the correspondence and communication with the SSA and BDD, and review your file to ensure your medical records and supporting documents are ready.
Your attorney will also help you navigate the appeals process and represent you at the hearing level.
At Legal Giant, we can connect you with the best Pennsylvania SSD lawyer to handle your case. Contact us for a free consultation with a local SSD attorney.
