How long will a Social Security decision take?

Deadlines do not exist for social security disability and SSI disability applications.

Statistically, the average is 90-120 days. Averages, however, tend to be very misleading. For instance, if one claim takes 180 days to complete (which is not at all uncommon) and another claim takes 2 days to complete (which almost never happens), the average of those two numbers is 91 days. In the Middle Tennessee area, waits as long as two years have been reported.

Typically, the social security office will dispense "average" information because, in the absence of doing this, they are unable to tell claimants anything about their claim status. Therefore, while a disability case is pending, it is always best to contact DDS and speak to the disability examiner assigned to the case. An attorney can keep track of your case and may be able to use practices and procedures to speed the process along.