How Long Does a Reconsideration Take for Disability?

If Social Security denied your SSDI application, reconsideration is the first official step in the appeals process. It's a complete review of your case by a different examiner — someone who wasn't involved in the original decision. Understanding what happens during reconsideration, and how long it typically takes, helps you plan what comes next.

What Is Reconsideration?

When SSA denies an initial SSDI application, you have 60 days (plus a 5-day mail grace period) to request reconsideration. Miss that window without good cause, and you generally have to start over with a brand-new application.

Reconsideration means a different Disability Determination Services (DDS) examiner reviews your entire file — your medical records, work history, doctor's statements, and the original denial rationale. You can also submit new medical evidence at this stage, which is worth doing if your condition has progressed or if your original file was missing documentation.

This stage is handled at the state DDS level, not by SSA directly, which is why timelines vary depending on where you live and the current workload of your state's DDS office.

How Long Does Reconsideration Typically Take? ⏳

SSA doesn't publish a firm, binding timeline for reconsideration decisions, but historical processing data gives a general picture:

Reconsideration often takes roughly as long as the initial application — sometimes faster if the case is straightforward, sometimes significantly longer if the DDS office has a backlog or if your medical evidence is incomplete.

Important: These are general ranges, not guarantees. SSA does not commit to specific processing windows at the reconsideration stage, and actual times fluctuate based on factors outside your control.

What Affects How Long Your Reconsideration Takes?

Several variables influence how quickly — or slowly — a reconsideration moves through the system.

Medical Evidence and Documentation

If your file already contains thorough, up-to-date records from treating physicians, the examiner can evaluate your case without delays. If records are missing, outdated, or need to be requested from providers, the review stalls. Submitting new evidence at the start of your reconsideration request can reduce back-and-forth delays.

Your Medical Condition

Some cases qualify for expedited processing. SSA's Compassionate Allowances program fast-tracks certain severe conditions — specific cancers, ALS, and other serious diagnoses — at both the initial and reconsideration stages. Terminal illness cases (TERI cases) also receive priority handling.

For conditions that are harder to document objectively — chronic pain, certain mental health diagnoses, fatigue-related disorders — examiners may need more time to weigh conflicting evidence, potentially extending the review.

State DDS Office Workload

Because DDS offices are state-administered, processing times vary considerably by location. States with heavier caseloads or staffing shortages can run significantly behind average timelines.

Whether You Submit New Evidence

If you provide updated records, new specialist reports, or a more detailed Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) assessment from your treating physician after filing for reconsideration, the examiner needs time to review that material. The extra evidence may strengthen your case, but it adds processing time.

Your Work History and Benefit Status

Reconsideration timelines themselves aren't directly affected by your work history, but your work credits and onset date determine whether you're eligible for SSDI at all — versus SSI, which has a separate appeals process and is managed differently. If there's a question about your insured status or your alleged onset date, the examiner may need additional time to verify your earnings record.

What Happens While You Wait

Waiting on a reconsideration decision doesn't require you to sit idle. A few things worth knowing:

• You are not receiving SSDI payments during the appeals process unless you had a prior approval that was later reviewed and ceased (continuing disability review cases follow a different path).
• If finances are the primary concern, some claimants explore SSI as a parallel application if they haven't already — SSI is needs-based and has different eligibility rules.
• You can check your case status through your my Social Security online account or by contacting your local SSA office directly.
• If you submitted medical evidence and haven't heard back in several months, a status inquiry is reasonable.

What Comes After Reconsideration?

Statistically, reconsideration approval rates are lower than initial application rates — most denials at this stage are upheld. That doesn't mean reconsideration is pointless; some cases do succeed here, particularly when new evidence fills the gaps that caused the original denial.

If reconsideration is denied, the next step is requesting a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). ALJ hearings have historically shown higher approval rates than reconsideration, but they also involve longer waits — often well over a year from request to hearing date.

The Part Only Your Situation Can Answer

The general timeline framework is consistent across claims. But how long your specific reconsideration takes — and whether it results in approval — depends on factors that vary from one claimant to the next: your diagnosis, the completeness of your medical record, your state's DDS backlog, your work history, and whether new evidence changes the picture from your initial application.

The process is the same for everyone. What it finds when it looks at your file is not. 📋