Mississippi Social Security disability
Mississippi Disability Lawyers: Three Hearing Offices in the State, and Olive Branch Claims Heard in Memphis
Mississippi disability appeals are heard in Jackson, Tupelo and Hattiesburg, and for claims filed at the Olive Branch field office, across the state line in Memphis, Tennessee.
Downard & Associates represents Mississippi claimants with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims, from the application through reconsideration and a hearing before an administrative law judge. We work by phone or video from our office in Lebanon, Tennessee, and there is no fee unless you win.
4
Hearing offices deciding Mississippi claims, one of them in Tennessee
10
Mississippi field offices sending claims to Hattiesburg
$0
State supplement added to a Mississippi SSI payment
No fee
Unless you win
Where your case is decided
Which Mississippi Hearing Office Decides Your Disability Claim
The hearing office that takes a Mississippi claim is set by the Social Security field office that serves your address. It follows the field office, not the county, and it does not always follow driving distance. Social Security's hearing office locator shows four assignments that surprise people:
The Delta is divided. The Cleveland, Greenville and Greenwood field offices go to Jackson, while Clarksdale and Grenada go to Tupelo.
Meridian goes south. The Meridian field office is assigned to Hattiesburg rather than Jackson.
The Gulf Coast stays in state. The Gulfport and Moss Point field offices go to Hattiesburg, not to Mobile, Alabama.
Olive Branch crosses the line. The Olive Branch field office is assigned to the Memphis, Tennessee hearing office at 309 Monroe Avenue. Social Security's office locator lists no Olive Branch office and assigns DeSoto County ZIP codes, Olive Branch's 38654 included, to the Hernando office at 2631 McIngvale Road, and neither source says which hearing office serves Hernando, so go by the hearing office named on your own notices. Our Memphis page covers that office from the Tennessee side.
Social Security can move field offices between hearing offices. For an in-person or agency video hearing, the Notice of Hearing names the place that applies to you, and our hearing office routing page lists every assignment nationwide.
The four offices
Every Office That Decides Mississippi Disability Claims
Each hearing office serves a list of field offices. These are the lists as Social Security publishes them:
Jackson: McCoy Federal Building, Suite 401, 100 West Capitol Street, Jackson. Field offices: Cleveland, Greenville, Greenwood, Jackson, Kosciusko and Vicksburg.
Tupelo: Suite 3A, 1150 South Green Street, Tupelo. Field offices: Clarksdale, Columbus, Corinth, Grenada, Starkville and Tupelo.
Hattiesburg: 1901 Broadway Drive, Hattiesburg. Field offices: Brookhaven, Forest, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Laurel, McComb, Meridian, Moss Point, Natchez and Philadelphia.
Memphis, Tennessee: 309 Monroe Avenue, Memphis. Mississippi field office: Olive Branch. The same office also hears West Memphis, Arkansas and several Tennessee field offices.
Hattiesburg carries ten of Mississippi's field offices, more than either Jackson or Tupelo, and its area runs from Natchez on the Mississippi River east to Meridian and south to the Gulf Coast. A claimant in Natchez and a claimant in Moss Point can be in front of the same judges.
Before any judge sees it
Who Decides Mississippi Disability Claims Before a Judge Does
Social Security takes the application and decides the non-medical parts of the claim. The medical decision on an application or a reconsideration is made by Disability Determination Services (DDS), an agency within the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services. Its examiners obtain the medical and vocational evidence, and an examiner may request a consultative examination at no cost to you when the records are incomplete. DDS lists a toll-free number, 1-800-962-2230.
One state agency handles the whole state. The Department's 2025 annual report says DDS handles disability claims from all 23 Social Security offices in Mississippi, so a claim filed in Corinth and one filed in Gulfport go to the same agency even though, if both claims go as far as a hearing, they go to different hearing offices. If DDS schedules an examination with one of its doctors, our guide to the consultative examination explains what happens there.
SSI and medicaid
SSI Brings Medicaid With It in Mississippi
Mississippi Medicaid follows SSI. The Division of Medicaid's SSI pamphlet says someone who receives SSI is automatically eligible for Medicaid, and no separate Medicaid application is needed unless you want retroactive Medicaid. Retroactive coverage can reach up to 3 months before the SSI application, and that request is filed with the Division of Medicaid.
Mississippi does not add a state supplement to SSI. Social Security's 2026 SSI guide lists Mississippi among the states that pay none, so the payment is the federal amount: in 2026, up to $994 a month for an individual and $1,491 for a couple, before any countable income is subtracted.
Some people keep Medicaid after SSI ends. The same pamphlet covers people whose SSI stopped because of a Social Security cost-of-living increase, because Disabled Adult Child benefits started or went up, or, for people aged 50 to 65 who do not have Medicare, because widow(er) benefits started. Our SSI claims page explains how SSI works for adults.
Other benefits
PERS Disability and Workers' Compensation Alongside SSDI
An SSDI approval helps; it does not decide the PERS claim.
Mississippi public employees can also apply for disability retirement through the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS). It is a separate decision. The PERS member handbook says its Medical Board gives consideration to Social Security disability determinations but does not automatically accept that determination as sole evidence of eligibility for PERS disability benefits. An SSDI approval helps; it does not decide the PERS claim.
Workers' compensation works the other way. Mississippi is not on Social Security's list of reverse offset states, so Social Security applies the federal offset when you receive Mississippi workers' compensation and SSDI for the same months. Under 20 CFR 404.408, SSDI is reduced when the Social Security disability benefits on your record plus workers' compensation exceed the higher of 80 percent of your average current earnings or the total family benefit on your record. Tell us about any workers' compensation claim, open or settled, at the first call.
After a denial
Mississippi Denials and the Appeal Deadlines
Deadline
60days
20 CFR 404.909
A Mississippi denial runs on the same federal clock as everywhere else. Reconsideration must be requested in writing within 60 days after you receive the notice, under 20 CFR 404.909 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1409 for SSI, and 20 CFR 404.901 treats the notice as received 5 days after its date unless you show otherwise. Reconsideration goes back to the same state agency, DDS, for a fresh look by a different examiner.
If reconsideration is denied, you have another 60 days from receipt to request a hearing under 20 CFR 404.933 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1433 for SSI. That request is what moves the file from DDS to one of the four hearing offices above. Write the date a notice actually arrived on the envelope and keep it; a late request is accepted only for good cause.
Your lawyer does not need a Mississippi license to represent you on a Social Security claim. Social Security's rule asks for an attorney in good standing who has the right to practice law before a court of a state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory or island possession, or a federal court, who is not disqualified or suspended from representing claimants, and whom no law prohibits from acting as a representative. How an out-of-state disability lawyer works.
Common questions
Mississippi SSDI Questions: Hearing Offices, Medicaid and State Benefits
Why is my Olive Branch disability claim heard in Memphis?
Social Security's hearing office locator assigns the Olive Branch field office to the Memphis, Tennessee hearing office at 309 Monroe Avenue. Its office locator lists no Olive Branch office and sends Olive Branch's ZIP code, 38654, to Hernando, so the hearing office named on your notices is the one to go by. The case is still decided under the same federal rules, and you can agree in writing to an online video hearing instead of traveling.
Which hearing office takes a Delta claim from Clarksdale or Greenville?
It depends on the field office. Social Security's locator sends Clarksdale and Grenada to Tupelo, and Cleveland, Greenville and Greenwood to Jackson, so two Delta claimants, one in Clarksdale and one in Cleveland, can be heard in different cities.
Is a Gulfport or Moss Point disability hearing held in Mobile?
No. Social Security's hearing office locator lists the Gulfport and Moss Point field offices under the Hattiesburg hearing office at 1901 Broadway Drive, not under Mobile, Alabama.
Do I need a separate Mississippi Medicaid application once I get SSI?
Usually not. The Division of Medicaid says SSI recipients are automatically eligible for Medicaid. A separate application, filed with the Division of Medicaid, is needed only for retroactive coverage, which can reach up to 3 months before the SSI application.
Does Mississippi add a state payment to SSI?
No. Social Security lists Mississippi among the states that pay no supplement to SSI, so a Mississippi SSI payment is the federal amount alone.
Will PERS approve my disability retirement if Social Security approves SSDI?
Not automatically. The PERS Medical Board considers a Social Security disability determination, but its member handbook says it does not automatically accept that determination as sole evidence of eligibility for PERS disability benefits.
Discuss your claim
Talk Through Your Mississippi Claim With Us
Tell us which Social Security office took your claim, what has been decided and the date on your last notice. We will explain which hearing office applies and the next deadline, by phone or video.