How Long Does It Take to Get Disability Benefits in Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore?

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How Long You Can Expect to Wait for Approval from Social Security

Most people who apply for Social Security Disability must wait months or even years to receive benefits.

This is one reason why it’s important to put in your application to Social Security as soon as you know you’ve developed a health problem that will keep you out of work for the long term. It’s best to get this long process started.

The application is intimidating, but an Alexandria Social Security Disability advocate from Mathis & Mathis Disability Advocates can assist you with every step.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits offer a vital lifeline when your health stops you from working. Don’t trust your application for benefits to just anybody.

Mathis & Mathis has been helping people navigate this system for more than 30 years.

In mid-2026, Social Security was reporting these national wait time averages:

Six months to get an initial decision on a disability claim

Almost seven months to get an answer on a reconsideration of a disability denial

More than eight months to reach an appeals hearing with a disability judge

And all of those stack on top of each other.

We work with people in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, Baltimore and all over the country.

At Mathis & Mathis, we see different waits for disability benefits in different places, depending on factors like how backlogged the local Social Security offices are.

Mathis & Mathis can answer your questions and help you avoid common mistakes that add extra delays. We can help you with much of the process remotely. You don’t have to live near our Alexandria office.

Get started by contacting our disability advocates today.

Social Security Disability is All We Do.

What Can Make a Social Security Disability Claim Take Longer?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) always takes a while to review claims, but some things make this process even longer.

How long it takes to get disability benefits is beyond your control or the control of your disability advocate. But you can take some steps to avoid creating extra delays in your SSDI application process.

These issues with the system affect everyone:

The complexity of the rules, making cases complicated to process

The backlog of SSDI claims nationwide

Staff shortages at Social Security

But these are issues you can avoid to prevent hang-ups in your particular case:

Incomplete application forms

Missing medical records in your application for benefits

Failure to cooperate with SSA requests for more information

Getting denied disability benefits and having to appeal is a big factor that can influence how long this process takes. And it’s extremely common.

Only around 35% to 40% of initial claims get approved.

How long does a disability appeal take?

Each stage of appeals is guaranteed to add months to this process. It’s important to do everything you can to make your initial application benefits complete, correct and convincing.

Our Virginia disability advocates will do everything they can to help you develop a persuasive claim from the very beginning of this process.

Get started with a FREE case evaluation today. »

Can Disability Wait Times Vary in Different Parts of the Country?

Yes. Recent data from Social Security shows that different states take different amounts of time for you to get a response on your initial application for disability.

And that’s just the first step. Where you live continues to affect the processing time you face as you move through the process.

Let’s compare places where our Alexandria disability advocates work with a lot of clients: Virginia, D.C. and Maryland.

In 2025, Virginia processed initial claims in 189 days on average (six months). D.C. cases took 203 days (almost seven months). Maryland had an average processing time of 389 days (over a year).

Factors like how many applicants there are, how many resources are available to local Social Security offices and how many employees are there to work on SSDI applications all affect waiting times from state to state.

Your location can also affect how long it takes to schedule a disability hearing after getting denied benefits. These are recent average waits to reach a hearing:

Virginia: 9 months

Maryland: 8.5 months

Washington, D.C.: 8 months

Hearing offices in different cities vary in their speed, too, but the main takeaway is that this process is almost always going to take time.

If you think you meet the SSA’s definition of disability, you should reach out to our disability advocates and get your application started as soon as possible.

How Virginia, Baltimore and D.C. Disability Advocates Can Help

A Washington, D.C. disability advocate can’t promise this will go quickly.

What the team at Mathis & Mathis Disability Advocates can do is guide you and help you avoid pitfalls that could make it take even longer to receive benefits.

Your disability advocate will:

Take the time to listen to you and understand your story

Determine if you might qualify for SSDI benefits

Help you fill out forms accurately and completely

Identify evidence and medical records that could support your claim

Ensure that you avoid errors that lead to additional delays or denials

Help you respond in a timely way to SSA’s requests

Support your appeal if your initial claim gets denied

Follow up to make sure you receive your benefits after being approved

Disability advocate Andrew Mathis will represent you personally if you need to go to a hearing in front of an administrative law judge.

It takes a long time to receive SSDI benefits, so make sure you’re working with someone who treats your disability claim with personal attention and does everything possible to help you avoid additional delays.

Mathis & Mathis is a family firm that’s been dedicated to helping people like you for decades. We know this is a personal process, so we treat you like a person, not just another file number on a long list.

A free, no-obligation consultation can help you learn more about how we can help with your disability claim. You won’t pay a fee until you get approved for SSDI.

Contact Us Today.

Applying or Appealing, We Can Help

Whether you’re in the initial stages of applying, appealing a denial of benefits, or wondering if you qualify, Mathis & Mathis can help.

Hear from a Mathis & Mathis Client

“I could not recommend Mathis & Mathis highly enough. They were kind, patient and thorough. No question was too small. They were timely in responding to me. While the process of applying for and obtaining disability is a long, tough road, Mr. Mathis made everything so much better. If you are thinking about applying, please do and know you will be taken very good care of . . . just like family.”

— Tracey Jones, Google Reviews