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.