SSDI Approval Timeline in South Dakota

Applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in South Dakota is rarely a quick process. Most applicants wait months — sometimes years — before receiving a final decision. Understanding each stage of the timeline helps you set realistic expectations, respond to requests on time, and avoid costly delays that could push your approval back further.

Initial Application: The First Decision

After you submit your SSDI application, the Social Security Administration (SSA) sends it to the South Dakota Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), which handles disability determinations for the state under a federal-state partnership. A disability examiner — often working with a medical consultant — reviews your medical records, work history, and functional limitations to decide whether you qualify.

At the initial level, South Dakota applicants typically wait three to six months for a decision. The SSA's national average hovers around five months, and South Dakota claimants generally fall within that range. Several factors can extend that window:

• Incomplete medical records that require follow-up requests
• Missing work history documentation
• The need for a consultative examination arranged by DRS
• High application volumes during certain periods

Unfortunately, roughly 67% of initial SSDI applications are denied nationwide. South Dakota mirrors that trend closely. A denial at this stage does not end your claim — it begins the appeals process.

Reconsideration: The Second Review

If your initial claim is denied, you have 60 days (plus a five-day mail allowance) to request reconsideration. This is a complete review of your file by a different disability examiner at DRS who was not involved in the first decision. New medical evidence submitted at this stage can significantly influence the outcome.

Reconsideration decisions in South Dakota typically take an additional three to five months. Statistically, reconsideration is the hardest hurdle — approval rates at this stage nationally are around 13 to 15 percent. Many experienced disability attorneys advise clients not to give up at reconsideration, because the next stage offers meaningfully better odds.

ALJ Hearing: Where Most Cases Are Won

If reconsideration is denied, you can request a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ). In South Dakota, ALJ hearings are conducted through the SSA's Office of Hearings Operations. Claimants in the Sioux Falls and Rapid City areas are typically assigned to hearing offices that serve those regions, though remote video hearings have become increasingly common since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ALJ hearing stage is where the majority of successful SSDI claimants finally receive approval. National approval rates at this level run between 45 and 55 percent. However, it comes with a significant wait. After requesting a hearing, South Dakota claimants often wait 12 to 22 months before their hearing date, depending on the current backlog at the assigned hearing office.

At the hearing, you present your case directly to a judge. A vocational expert is usually present to testify about what jobs, if any, exist in the national economy that someone with your limitations could perform. A medical expert may also testify. This is the stage where having skilled legal representation makes the largest measurable difference in outcomes.

Key steps to prepare before your ALJ hearing include:

• Ensuring all treating physicians have submitted updated records and, ideally, completed a Residual Functional Capacity (RFC) form supporting your limitations
• Obtaining opinion letters from specialists documenting the severity and expected duration of your condition
• Reviewing the SSA's file for missing or inaccurate information before the hearing date
• Preparing a detailed function report describing how your condition affects daily activities

Appeals Council and Federal Court

If the ALJ denies your claim, you can appeal to the SSA's Appeals Council within 60 days. The Appeals Council may grant review, deny review, or remand the case back to an ALJ. This stage adds another 12 to 18 months on average and results in outright approval in a small percentage of cases. Its primary value is often to preserve the right to pursue federal court review.

The final avenue is filing a civil action in U.S. District Court. In South Dakota, that would be filed in either the District of South Dakota's Sioux Falls or Aberdeen divisions. Federal court review is narrow — the judge evaluates whether the SSA's decision was supported by substantial evidence, not whether you are sympathetic or clearly disabled. This stage can take one to two additional years. Most claimants who reach federal court do so after three or more years in the system.

How to Shorten Your Wait Time

While the SSDI process is slow by design, there are concrete steps South Dakota applicants can take to avoid self-inflicted delays and improve their chances at each stage.

Submit a complete application from the start. Incomplete applications generate information requests that pause the clock. Gather treatment records, contact information for all providers, medication lists, and a thorough work history before you apply.

Respond to SSA requests immediately. When DRS or the SSA asks for additional records or schedules a consultative examination, respond within the stated deadline. Missing a consultative exam appointment is one of the most common reasons claims are denied on procedural grounds.

Apply for Compassionate Allowances if eligible. The SSA maintains a list of conditions — including certain cancers, ALS, and rare genetic disorders — that qualify for expedited processing. If your diagnosis is on the Compassionate Allowances list, your case can be approved in weeks rather than months.

Request an on-the-record decision before your hearing. If you have overwhelming medical evidence, your attorney can ask the ALJ to issue a fully favorable decision based on the record alone, without holding a hearing. This can save months of waiting.

Work with an experienced disability attorney. Representation statistically improves approval rates at every stage. Attorneys who practice SSDI law understand what evidence the SSA finds persuasive, how to frame your limitations under the correct medical-vocational rules, and how to identify procedural errors that could support a remand or reversal.

South Dakota claimants who are denied and choose not to appeal, or who miss appeal deadlines, must start the entire process over with a new application. Protecting your appeal rights at each stage — even when a denial feels discouraging — is essential to eventually receiving the benefits you have earned.

Need Help? If you have questions about your case, call or text 833-657-4812 for a free consultation with an experienced attorney.

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