Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas Disability Lawyers for the Rogers Avenue Hearing Office and Northwest Arkansas
One Social Security hearing office, in Central Mall at 5111 Rogers Avenue in Fort Smith, holds hearing-level appeals for Northwest Arkansas as well as for Fort Smith itself. Social Security's office locator assigns Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale and Siloam Springs ZIP codes to the Fayetteville field office, and Fayetteville is on the Fort Smith hearing office list. The same list reaches east to Russellville, north to Harrison and Mountain Home, and west across the state line to Poteau, Oklahoma.
Downard & Associates represents adults on that list with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims. There is no fee unless you win.
How we help
How We Represent Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas Claimants From Tennessee
Consultations happen by phone or video, and our attorneys handle hearings from Tennessee by phone or video.
The disability rules are federal. What changes with the address is the field office, the hearing office and the hospitals whose records carry the claim.
We take SSDI and SSI claims at the application, reconsideration, hearing and Appeals Council stages, and we respond within 3 business hours.
We have no Fort Smith office. Consultations happen by phone or video, and our attorneys handle hearings from Tennessee by phone or video. We represent adults age 18 and older. We handle SSDI cases for people who receive VA benefits, but we do not handle VA claims or appeals. We do not take disability cessation or continuing disability review cases, or cases about back pay alone, and we refer federal court appeals to affiliated counsel.
Hearing office
The Fort Smith Hearing Office and the Six Field Offices on Its List
Social Security's hearing office data, the file behind its hearing office locator, gives the Fort Smith hearing office's address as Central Mall, Suite 475, 5111 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, AR 72903-2034, with office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Its list names six field offices: Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Russellville, Harrison and Mountain Home in Arkansas, and Poteau in Oklahoma. The data prints Poteau under its Arkansas heading, but Social Security's office locator places the Poteau office at 1306 Tarby Rd, Poteau, OK 74953.
POMS GN 03103.040, the section of Social Security's operations manual on the servicing hearing office, says hearing office jurisdiction is determined by the claimant's residence address, even when the claimant's representative has an office elsewhere. A claimant can ask for a hearing in a different office, and Social Security decides whether to transfer the case, so go by the office named on your own hearing letters. Our hearing office directory covers offices nationwide, and our Arkansas disability lawyer page covers the Little Rock office and the Arkansas field offices assigned outside the state.
Field offices and zip codes
Which Fort Smith-List Field Office Takes Your ZIP Code
The locator's office assignments are by ZIP code, so the place names in parentheses are for orientation only.
Social Security's office locator assigns the ZIP codes below to the six field offices on the Fort Smith list. The locator's office assignments are by ZIP code, so the place names in parentheses are for orientation only. These are sample ZIP codes, not full service areas, and assignments change, so search your own ZIP code before you rely on the list.
Fort Smith, 6801 Dallas Street, Ft Smith, AR 72903: 72901, 72903, 72904, 72908 and 72916 (Fort Smith); 72921 (Alma); 72936 (Greenwood); 72940 (Huntington); 72949 (Mulberry); and 72956 (Van Buren).
Fayetteville, Suite 101, 2153 E. Joyce Blvd., Fayetteville, AR 72703: 72701, 72703 and 72704 (Fayetteville); 72712 (Bentonville); 72756 and 72758 (Rogers); 72761 (Siloam Springs); and 72762 and 72764 (Springdale).
Russellville, 2708 E Parkway Drive, Russellville, AR 72802: 72801 (Russellville) and 72830 (Clarksville, Arkansas).
Harrison, 131 W Industrial Pk Rd, Harrison, AR 72601: 72601 (Harrison).
Mountain Home, Suite 2, 955 Wallace Knob Rd, Mountain Home, AR 72653: 72653 (Mountain Home). The locator lists this office as a residence station.
Poteau, 1306 Tarby Rd, Poteau, OK 74953: 74953 (Poteau) and 74955 (Sallisaw).
Northwest Arkansas
Bentonville, Rogers and Springdale Appeals Go to Fort Smith
Northwest Arkansas's field office is on Joyce Boulevard in Fayetteville, and its hearing office is the one in Fort Smith. The locator assigns the Bentonville, Rogers, Siloam Springs and Springdale ZIP codes listed above to that Fayetteville office, and the Fayetteville office is on the Fort Smith list.
The list stops at Russellville to the east. The Conway, Searcy and Batesville field offices are on the Little Rock hearing office list instead, so a claimant east of Russellville should check the locator before assuming Fort Smith.
Across the state line
Poteau and Sallisaw, Oklahoma on an Arkansas Hearing Office List
Two eastern Oklahoma ZIP codes cross the state line for their hearing office. The locator assigns 74953 (Poteau) and 74955 (Sallisaw) to the Poteau field office, and Social Security's hearing office data puts that office on the Fort Smith list. The Muskogee field office, farther west, is on the list of the Tulsa hearing office at Eastgate Metroplex, Suite 500, 14002 E. 21st Street, Tulsa, OK 74134.
Our Oklahoma disability lawyer page covers SoonerCare and the other hearing offices that decide Oklahoma claims.
Hearing formats
Phone, Video or Central Mall: How Social Security Sets the Format
Deadline
30days
Social Security offers hearings by phone, online video, agency video or in person. Under 20 CFR 404.936 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1436 for SSI, Social Security sets the time and manner of appearance. Before it schedules the hearing, it notifies you that it may schedule you to appear by phone or agency video, or by online video if you agree.
To object to a phone or agency video appearance, write to Social Security within 30 days after you receive that notice. Online video happens only with your written agreement, sent within the same 30 days, and you can withdraw that agreement any time before the hearing starts. If you miss the 30 days, Social Security extends the time when you show good cause.
Our disability hearings page covers the hearing itself.
Local treatment records
Records From Mercy, Baptist Health, Washington Regional, Northwest Health and the Fayetteville VA
Paper forms go to the treating hospital or to MedicalRecordsRequest@nw-health.com.
Mercy (Fort Smith and Rogers): Mercy's request medical records page says records can be obtained by completing the appropriate forms and submitting them to your Mercy physician's office or local Mercy Health Information Management office. The Fort Smith Health Information Management office is at 7301 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72903, phone 479-314-3154. The Rogers office is at 2710 S. Rife Medical Lane, Rogers, AR 72758, phone 479-338-2962. Both entries give fax 1-866-427-8729 and the email 68126_Mercy_NWA_Clinics@datavant.com.
Baptist Health-Fort Smith and Baptist Health-Van Buren: Baptist Health's medical records page offers the MyChart portal, an online request through the Datavant patient portal that asks you to capture or upload a photo ID, or a visit or call to Health Information Management with photo ID ready. It lists (479) 441-4050 for Baptist Health-Fort Smith and (479) 471-4377 for Baptist Health-Van Buren, and it links a fee schedule.
Washington Regional, Fayetteville: Washington Regional's medical release form page has a patient request form, with a Spanish version. Send the completed form by email to ROI@wregional.com, by fax to 479.463.1239, or by mail to Washington Regional Medical Records, 3215 N. Northhills Blvd., Fayetteville, AR 72703. To deliver it in person, the page gives the Medical Records Department at 3318 N. Northhills Blvd., Ste. 110. Questions go to 479.463.1158.
Northwest Health: Northwest Health's records request page says "We recommend online medical requests whenever possible," and it notes that a Patient Portal account may already hold what you need. Paper forms go to the treating hospital or to MedicalRecordsRequest@nw-health.com. The page gives a phone, fax and address for each hospital, among them Northwest Medical Center - Bentonville, Northwest Medical Center - Springdale and Siloam Springs Regional Hospital. It says there may be a charge for copies of records for yourself or for a third party, other than a continuity of care request.
Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, Fayetteville: the VA's medical records office page lets you sign in to find, review, print and download your VA medical records online. In person, the Release of Information office is at 1100 North College Avenue, Fayetteville, AR 72703-1944, Building 1, Basement, Room 1-44, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; bring a signed, written request such as VA Form 10-5345a, Individuals' Request for a Copy of Their Own Health Information, and your Veteran Health Identification Card. The form can also go to that office by mail, and for mailed or faxed requests the page says "Requests may take up to 20 business days to process."
After a denial
Appeal Deadlines for Fort Smith-List Claims and When a Notice Counts as Received
Deadline
60days
20 CFR 404.909
A request for reconsideration is due within 60 days after you receive the initial denial, under 20 CFR 404.909 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1409 for SSI. A hearing request is due within 60 days after you receive the reconsideration denial, under 20 CFR 404.933 and 20 CFR 416.1433. Under 20 CFR 404.901 and 20 CFR 416.1401, Social Security treats a notice as received 5 days after the date on it, unless you show that it did not reach you within that period.
Social Security can extend a missed deadline for good cause. 20 CFR 404.911 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1411 for SSI give examples, among them a serious illness that kept you from contacting Social Security, a death or serious illness in your immediate family, and a request sent in good faith to another government agency within the time limit. Send the late request with a written statement of why it is late. Our disability appeals page covers each level in order.
Common questions
Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas SSDI and SSI Questions
I live in Springdale. Which hearing office has my appeal?
The Fort Smith hearing office at Central Mall, Suite 475, 5111 Rogers Avenue. Social Security's locator assigns 72762 and 72764 to the Fayetteville field office on Joyce Boulevard, and that field office is on the Fort Smith list. Search your own ZIP code at ssa.gov/locator to confirm.
Is the Fort Smith field office in the same building as the hearing office?
No. The field office is at 6801 Dallas Street, Ft Smith, AR 72903. The hearing office is in Central Mall, Suite 475, 5111 Rogers Avenue, Fort Smith, AR 72903-2034.
Does a Sallisaw, Oklahoma address lead to an Oklahoma hearing office?
No. The locator assigns 74955 to the Poteau field office at 1306 Tarby Rd, Poteau, OK, and Social Security's hearing office data lists Poteau under the Fort Smith hearing office in Arkansas.
Where do I hand in a Washington Regional records request in person?
At the Washington Regional Medical Records Department, 3318 N. Northhills Blvd., Ste. 110, Fayetteville, according to the hospital's medical release form page. Mailed forms go to a different address, 3215 N. Northhills Blvd.
Discuss your claim
Talk With Us About a Fort Smith-List Claim
Call (615) 255-4307 or start a free review online, and we respond within 3 business hours. Have your ZIP code ready, with the field office and hearing office named on your Social Security letters, and a list of your doctors, clinics and hospitals with approximate dates. After a denial or a hearing notice, write down the day it reached you.