Disability Hearing Formats: In-Person, Phone, Video, and Agency Video Explained

Let's talk about what type of hearing you should choose for your Social Security Disability case, and why the format matters more than most people think.

The Four Hearing Formats

Since November 2024, the SSA formally recognizes four standard ways to attend a disability hearing:

1. Audio (phone) hearing, conducted by telephone from a private location of your choosing
2. Online video hearing, using Microsoft Teams from your own device
3. Agency video hearing, conducted at an SSA office using the agency's video equipment
4. In-person hearing, face-to-face at an SSA hearing center

The SSA selects the initial format when it schedules your hearing, but you have the right to object if it doesn't work for you. You'll receive a "Notice of Ways to Attend a Hearing" that explains your options and gives you deadlines to respond. If you want to switch to a different format, there are specific forms to file, including Form HA-55 (to object to audio or agency video) and Form HA-56 (to agree to online video).

Now let me walk you through each format and explain why my office handles nearly everything by phone.

Why In-Person Hearings Are My Least Favorite

I have three big reasons why in-person hearings cause the most problems for my clients.

1. Clients Testify Poorly at In-Person Hearings

For most disability claimants, an in-person hearing means driving 30 minutes to an hour to a downtown hearing office. You have to find parking, walk to the building, locate the disability office inside, get screened by security, and sit in unfamiliar surroundings. For someone who is already in pain and not feeling well, that process is a tremendous mental and physical drain before the hearing even starts.

I've noticed that when people testify from home, they're more comfortable, more relaxed, and they haven't been through that ordeal. They give better testimony, plain and simple.

2. Things Go Wrong at In-Person Hearings

Here are real examples I've seen:

• A client with back problems testifies they can only sit for 15 to 30 minutes at a time. But they get nervous, they don't want to interrupt the judge, and they sit through the entire hearing without standing up. Now their testimony is inconsistent with what the judge saw. That's a bad look.
• A client says they can't lift their arm over their head. The judge asks them to demonstrate, and in the moment they push through the pain and lift it. They couldn't do that repeatedly throughout a day, but the one-time demonstration undermines their testimony.
• Clients forget their assistive devices, whether it's a walker, cane, knee brace, or back brace. If you don't show up with those things, the judge is going to assume you don't need them.

All of these problems hurt credibility. The judge is evaluating whether your testimony matches what they observe, and in-person hearings create too many opportunities for things to go sideways. If you're preparing for a hearing, make sure to also think about whether a witness should testify on your behalf, because that decision is format-dependent too.

3. Judges Prefer Being Comfortable Too

I've got to guess that judges are more relaxed and in a better mood when they're conducting a hearing from home versus driving to the office and putting on the robe. A comfortable judge is a judge more likely to give your case a fair, patient hearing.

Video Hearings: Better, but Not Ideal

The SSA now offers two types of video hearings. Agency video requires you to go to an SSA office and use their equipment. Online video lets you use Microsoft Teams from your own device at home.

Online video is a big improvement over having to travel to an SSA office. But video hearings still carry some of the same risks as in-person hearings. The judge can still see you, which means the same problems with demonstrating limitations or forgetting to stand up still apply. And technical difficulties can cause delays or disrupt your testimony.

That said, if you have a highly visible physical disability, like wheelchair use or a severe mobility limitation that your medical records alone don't fully convey, an online video hearing could be the right call. Discuss this with your attorney.

Why Phone (Audio) Hearings Are Usually the Best Choice

My office tries to do everything as a phone hearing, and here's why.

Things just go more smoothly. Clients testify well. They're in a comfortable, familiar environment. There's no travel stress, no parking hassles, no security screening, and no unfamiliar surroundings throwing them off.

Judges seem to like phone hearings just fine. I haven't noticed any pattern of judges favoring or disfavoring phone hearings compared to other formats. The data backs this up. In the 2024 fiscal year, 68% of all SSA disability hearings were conducted by phone, making it by far the most common format.

I understand the concern that you want the judge to see you and see your condition. But the proof is in your medical records. You can't really win your case on testimony alone. The judge is looking for consistency between what you say and what your medical records show. They might have questions about things that weren't clear from reading the file. But no judge is going to say, "Well, the medical records don't support this, but did you see how he dragged his leg walking into the hearing room?"

Disability judges just don't operate like that.

What You Should Do

When you receive your Notice of Ways to Attend a Hearing, talk to your attorney about which format is right for your case. For most of my clients, the answer is a phone hearing. It minimizes risk, maximizes comfort, and lets the medical evidence do the heavy lifting.

The hearing format is just one piece of a strong disability case. You also need solid medical records, good preparation, and consistency between your testimony and the evidence in your file. If you want to improve your odds of winning, start with those fundamentals.