Social Security Judges Still Going Into Offices for Hearings

Administrative law judges at the Social Security Administration are being told to report to work for hearings this week, even though the agency’s customers no longer are required to show up in person for the hearings because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The judges were told they can begin working from home for all agency matters—including hearings—on March 30, according to Melissa McIntosh, president of the Association of Administrative Law Judges, an AFL-CIO affiliate that represents about 1,300 judges at the agency. In the meantime, they’ve been instructed to report to hearing offices to initiate telephone hearings with SSA claimants, ...