I'm scheduled to have my social security hearing in two weeks and I was wondering if the hearings are open to the public? I'm concerned because I went to court one time for my son when he was younger and got into trouble and the whole court process was open and there were people in the room and I think it was embarrassing to have my son's dirty laundry aired so publicly. Is that what it's like at the disability hearing because I wouldn't want to talk about my medical issues in that kind of situation. Thanks for any help you can give.
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Social Security Hearing--What happens
Don't worry. Hearings for SSDI or SSI are nothing like a criminal hearings. First and foremost, disability hearings are not open to the public. Hopefully you have an attorney for your disability claim. She will be there, obviously, and one or more witnesses may be admitted to testify (such as a vocational expert or a medical expert witness). The courtroom may look more like a conference room, smaller than a courtroom. There will be a judge and a hearing reporter. There is no opposing counsel, such as a prosecutor in a criminal matter, and the judge serves as both a finder of fact (as a judge typically does) and as a questioner. Not like a prosecutor. Not that adversarial, but obligated to ask questions and get answers from you and/or your attorney. The whole process is informal and not terribly intimidating. Follow your attorney's advice and you will be fine. Good luck.