Most Mississippi SSD Appeals Move Through the Jackson Hearing Office

For many people in and around Jackson, the hearing stage is handled through the SSA Office of Hearings Operations (OHO) in Jackson. SSA’s own materials list the Jackson hearing office address as:

100 West Capitol Street
Jackson, MS 39269

This office services multiple Mississippi field office areas (including Jackson and Vicksburg, among others). You usually request reconsideration and a hearing through the SSA field office network, and then the case is routed to the appropriate hearing office at the ALJ stage. 

Why Initial Disability Claims Are Denied

A denial does not automatically mean Social Security believes you are not disabled. Many denials happen because the claim file did not line up with SSA’s rules and the way SSA evaluates disability.

Common denial themes include:

Medical record gaps or timing issues

• Missing records, missing providers, or incomplete treatment history
• Records that do not cover the full period SSA is evaluating
• Limited specialist support or limited objective testing

Functional proof problems

• The file lists diagnoses, but does not clearly document work-related limits (sitting, standing, using hands, pace, attention, attendance, etc.)
• Symptoms are described generally, but not in a way that helps SSA measure reliability and consistency over time

Work and vocational issues

• SSA concludes you can do “other work,” often based on a limited view of your past job duties or transferable skills
• Age categories and vocational factors are not applied as favorably as they may be later in the process

Technical eligibility issues

• Work credit issues (often SSDI-related)
• Income/resource issues (often SSI-related)
• Forms, deadlines, or procedural problems

The appeal is your opportunity to correct what the file lacked the first time, with deadlines that are strict. 

A denial doesn’t mean your case is over. Contact us or call (888) 687-6022.

Why You Should Not Start Over with a New Application 

After a denial, many people assume the best move is to reapply. In many cases, that creates avoidable problems, including:

• Losing ground on back pay by giving up the original timeline
• Delaying your path to a hearing, where cases are often more fully developed
• Creating inconsistencies in onset dates, symptoms, or work history if the new filing is not handled carefully

There are situations where a new filing may be considered, but it should be a deliberate strategy decision, not a guess.

How The SSD Appeals Process Works

Most disability cases move through these stages:

1. Reconsideration. A new reviewer takes another look at the file. This is still mostly a paper process.
2. Hearing Before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). This is where you can testify, and where vocational testimony is commonly addressed directly.
3. Appeals Council Review and Federal Court (When Appropriate). Further review options exist, but not every case goes that far.

Deadlines matter: in general, SSA gives 60 days to appeal, and SSA typically presumes you received the notice 5 days after the date on the letter, unless you can show otherwise.

What We Do in SSD Appeals for Claimants

An appeal is not a resubmission. It is case development: identifying what the denial relied on and building the record so the next reviewer (or judge) can apply the rules correctly.

When Carmichael Law Grouptakes over an appeal, we typically focus on:

• Reviewing the denial rationale and targeting the specific weak points
• Filing the appeal on time to preserve rights and protect the claim timeline 
• Collecting complete records across the relevant period (not just a recent snapshot)
• Developing functional evidence that translates symptoms into work limits (tolerance, pace, attendance, need for breaks, etc.)
• Preparing for vocational issues, including the assumptions used in hypotheticals
• Preparing you for the hearing so testimony is clear and consistent with the medical record

What Happens at an ALJ Hearing

At the hearing level, the decision is no longer a pure paper review. The ALJ evaluates evidence and testimony, and hearings commonly involve a vocational expert (VE).

At a high level, the hearing tends to focus on:

• Whether your limits prevent full-time, competitive work, not whether you can do a few tasks on a good day
• Whether the medical record supports the degree of limitation claimed
• Whether testimony and records are consistent over time
• Whether SSA’s “other work” theory holds up once real limitations are used in the VE hypotheticals

This is one reason case development before the hearing matters. SSA’s hearing materials also reflect that SSA presumes receipt of certain notices within 5 days unless proven otherwise, which is another reason to stay ahead of deadlines. 

Timeline for SSD Appeals

Exact timelines vary, but the usual sequence looks like this:

1. Appeal filed (reconsideration requested) within the deadline
2. Reconsideration review (often still denied)
3. Request for hearing filed
4. Case assigned and scheduled through the Jackson hearing office process 
5. Hearing preparation period (records, opinions, vocational strategy, testimony prep)
6. ALJ hearing
7. Written decision issued, then benefits calculations if approved

If a deadline was missed, SSA may still accept a late appeal in some circumstances. SSA recognizes “good cause” concepts in its rules, including situations like not receiving notice, serious illness, or receiving incorrect/incomplete information. The key is speed: once you are outside the normal window, delay usually makes it harder to fix.

SSDI vs SSI: Does It Change the Appeal?

The appeal path is similar, but the eligibility issues differ:

• SSDI often turns on work history and work credits, plus disability
• SSI involves disability plus income/resource rules

A denial can be medical, technical, or both. The appeal should address whichever category caused the denial.