Social Security will send your case to a state office called Disability Determination Services (DDS), which is a branch of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. DDS will assign your case to an analyst. This analyst will send you forms to complete and return in the mail. The DDS analyst may call your phone number to ask you questions about your condition, living situation, daily activities, work history, past medical treatment, upcoming medical appointments, current medications, names or addresses of your doctors or clinics, etc. Ask your doctor(s) to write a letter to DDS explaining your conditions, treatment, and prognosis.

DDS sometimes wants a doctor to evaluate you before it decides if you qualify for benefits. If DDS decides it needs to schedule an appointment for a doctor to evaluate you, then your application might be delayed further. It is very important that you attend any appointments DDS schedules for you. If you fail to attend an appointment, DDS may decide to deny your claim for failure to cooperate.

If you are homeless or are about to become homeless, or if you have a medical condition that has become terminal, or a medical condition that fits into one of Social Security’s other high priority groups, call your local Social Security field office to let them know. Here is a  Complete List of Conditions | Compassionate Allowances | SSA). This could speed up how quickly Social Security processes your application.

I have a hearing scheduled. What should I do to prepare for my hearing?

We recommend that you consult or retain an attorney experienced in Social Security law. Most Social Security lawyers do not charge a fee before representing you, but many will take a percentage of the lump sum benefits you receive if you win your case.

If you do not want an attorney to represent you, you should get a copies of all your recent medical records and submit them to the Office of Hearings Operations (OHO). OHO is the office that holds Social Security hearings. When your case is assigned to an OHO location, you will get a fax cover sheet with a barcode on it that you can use to send evidence like medical records. You should ask your doctor(s) to write letters that detail your severe symptoms, diagnoses, treatment, and prognosis and send those to OHO, too.

At your hearing, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) will ask you questions about your education, work history, and medical conditions. The ALJ will ask detailed questions about the ways your conditions limit your ability to do daily activities. There will also be a Vocational Expert (VE) present. This person gives expert opinion about what kinds of jobs and work tasks someone with your conditions, education, and work background could still do. You (or your representative) and the ALJ will take turns asking the VE questions about this.

The numbers for the local OHO’s (Office of Hearings Operations) in our area are:

  • Metairie Office of Hearings Operations: (877) 870-6383
  • New Orleans Office of Hearings Operations: (888) 297-2210

Some kinds of hearings are held at Social Security field offices instead of at OHO. If you have a hearing at a Field Office, you can find your local field office by ZIP code using Social Security’s online Field Office Locator Tool. These are some Louisiana field office locations:

New Orleans Social Security Field Office

400 Poydras St, Ste 500

New Orleans, LA 70130

Phone: 1 (855) 257-0987

Fax: 1 (833) 950-3349

Parishes served: Orleans, St. Bernard

New Orleans Westbank Social Security Field Office

115 Terry Pkwy

Terrytown, LA 70056

Phone: 1 (866) 585-9476

Fax: 1 (833) 902-2567

Parishes served: Jefferson (West), St. Charles, Plaquemines

Kenner Social Security Field Office

1616 Joe Yenni Blvd

Kenner, LA 70065

Phone: 1 (888) 850-2232

Fax: 1 (833) 902-2567

Parishes served: Jefferson (East), St. John the Baptist

St. Tammany Social Security Field Office

64285 Hwy 434

Lacombe, LA 70445

Phone: 1 (866) 887-8997

Fax: 1 (833) 939-2009

Parishes served: St. Tammany

Houma Social Security Field Office

178 Civic Center Blvd, Ste 100

Houma, LA 70360

Phone: 1 (866) 748-2071

Fax: 1 (833) 950-3643

Parishes served: Terrebonne, Lafourche

Baton Rouge Social Security Field Office # 1

5455 Bankers Ave

Baton Rouge, LA 70808

Phone: 1 (866) 613-3070

Fax: 1 (833) 950-3635

Parishes served: East Baton Rouge, Point Coupee, Livingston, St. James, Ascension, Iberville

Baton Rouge North Social Security Field Office # 2

4332 Harding Blvd

Baton Rouge, LA 70807

Phone: 1 (888) 487-0143

Fax: 1 (833) 950-2383

Parishes served: West Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, West Feliciana

Bogalusa Social Security Field Office

438 Avenue B

Bogalusa, LA 70427

Phone: 1 (888) 748-7678

Fax:   1 (833) 902-2566

Parishes served: Washington

Morgan City Social Security Field Office

1279 Clothilde St

Morgan City, LA 70380

Phone: 1 (855) 433-5874

Fax: 1 (833) 950-3651

Parished served: Assumption

Hammond Social Security Field Office

2100 Robin Ave

Hammond, LA 70403

Phone:1 (855) 848-7937

Fax:   1 (833) 950-3645

Parishes served: St. Helena, Tangipahoa

The information provided in this post does not, and is not intended to, represent legal advice. All information available on this site is for general informational purposes only. If you need legal help, you should contact a lawyer. You may be eligible for our free legal services and can apply by calling our Legal Hotline at 1-844-244-7871 or applying online here.