Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois SSDI and SSI Lawyers for a Hearing Office That Serves Two States
Social Security's hearing office data lists eight field offices under the Peoria hearing office at 3328 W. Willow Knolls Drive: Bloomington, Decatur, Galesburg, Pekin, Peoria, Rock Island and Springfield in Illinois, and Davenport in Iowa. Downard & Associates represents adults in Peoria and across that area with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims, from the application through Appeals Council review. There is no fee unless you win.
How we help
A Lebanon, Tennessee Firm for Peoria Claims, by Phone or Video
Consultations happen by phone or video, and our attorneys handle hearings from Tennessee by phone or video.
Two details of a Peoria claim are local. The hearing office that serves Peoria also decides claims from part of Iowa, and the Methodist, Proctor and Pekin hospitals that belonged to UnityPoint Health joined Carle Health in April 2023.
We handle applications, reconsideration, hearings and Appeals Council review, for SSDI claims and SSI claims, and we respond within 3 business hours.
We have no Peoria 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 Peoria Hearing Office and the Eight Field Offices on Its List
Social Security's hearing office locator data gives the Peoria hearing office's address as 3328 W. Willow Knolls Drive, Peoria, IL 61614, and lists these field offices under it:
Illinois: Bloomington, Decatur, Galesburg, Pekin, Peoria, Rock Island and Springfield.
Iowa: Davenport.
The Peoria office decides claims from two states, Illinois and Iowa. None of the eight field offices appears under a second hearing office in the data, so this list has no overlap to sort out.
Which hearing office has a case follows where the claimant lives. Social Security's operations manual, POMS GN 03103.040, says hearing office jurisdiction is determined by the claimant's residence address, and that the office serving that address has jurisdiction even if the claimant's representative has an office in another hearing office's service area. Social Security can transfer cases, so the Peoria office generally, not always, handles claims from addresses in its area. Hiring a firm in Lebanon, Tennessee does not move a Peoria case to Tennessee. Our hearing office directory lists offices nationwide, and our Illinois disability lawyer page covers the other offices that decide Illinois claims.
Hearing formats
Phone, Video or In Person for a Peoria Hearing
Deadline
30days
20 CFR 404.936
Social Security offers hearings by phone, online video, agency video or in person. Its hearing options page describes a phone hearing from a private location you choose, agency video using Social Security's video equipment at one of its offices, and online video on a personal device such as a smartphone, tablet or computer with an internet connection.
Social Security sets the format and sends a notice about it; a claimant does not simply pick one. Under 20 CFR 404.936 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1436 for SSI, you can object in writing to a phone or agency video appearance within 30 days after the date you receive that notice. Online video needs your written agreement within the same 30 days, and you may withdraw that agreement any time before the hearing starts. Our page on disability hearings walks through the hearing itself.
Local treatment records
Medical Records From OSF HealthCare and Carle Health in Peoria
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center: the hospital's contact page lists it at 530 NE Glen Oak Avenue, Peoria, IL 61637, and points records requests to OSF's system-wide instructions. OSF's records request page calls OSF MyChart the quickest way to request records. OSF's MyChart guide puts Request Medical Records under the Sharing section of the menu: choose the facility from the drop-down, complete the form, and once the request is approved the documents download from the Document Center under My Record.
For a mailed request, the OSF page says each location needs its own form, sent to that location. Records over 100 pages come on a CD, or by mail if you ask for paper. Copies sent to the patient or to another provider for continuing care are free of charge, and records sent to others, such as an attorney or a third-party organization, are billed to that requestor. For the status of a request, the page lists Verisma at (309) 205-6977.
Carle Health Methodist, Proctor and Pekin hospitals: a Carle announcement dated April 3, 2023 welcomed the former UnityPoint Health and says the closing agreement took effect on April 1. Carle's Greater Peoria FAQ names the hospitals Carle Health Methodist Hospital, Carle Health Proctor Hospital and Carle Health Pekin Hospital.
Carle's medical records page places Methodist, Proctor and Pekin in its West Region. A signed release form is mailed to Health Information Management, Carle Health Proctor Hospital, 5409 N. Knoxville Ave., Peoria, IL 61614, and the West Region line is (309) 691-1047. Carle also offers an online Records Request Tool that verifies identity with a photo of your driver's license. Carle Eureka Hospital sits in the Central Region instead, with a mailing address of 1304 Franklin Ave., Normal, IL 61761. The page says authorizations expire one year from the date signed unless otherwise specified. It does not mention records from the UnityPoint years, so confirm older records with the West Region line before you rely on one request.
Moving during a claim
Moving Across a Hearing Office Line in Central Illinois
Champaign, Danville, Kankakee and Peru are listed under the Orland Park, Illinois hearing office.
Several field offices near the Peoria list sit on other lists in the same data. Champaign, Danville, Kankakee and Peru are listed under the Orland Park, Illinois hearing office. Quincy and Litchfield are listed under St. Louis, Missouri. Sterling and Freeport are listed under Evanston, Illinois. Across the state line, Burlington, Iowa is listed under Des Moines, not Peoria.
Because jurisdiction follows residence, a move can raise the question of which office keeps a pending case. Social Security's hearings manual, HALLEX I-2-0-70, covers a claimant who changes residence while a hearing request is pending and reports a new address in another office's jurisdiction. If you have not objected to a phone or agency video appearance, the office schedules your appearance by phone, by agency video or, if you agree, by online video whenever possible. When those formats are not possible and you would need to travel more than 75 miles to a hearing site in the office's area, the Hearing Office Chief Administrative Law Judge decides on any appropriate case transfer. If you have objected to phone or agency video, HALLEX points to a different section, I-2-0-21.
The same section says a change in mailing address is not sufficient to establish a change of residence; a new P.O. Box is its example.
After a denial
The 60-Day Clock After a Peoria Denial
Deadline
60days
20 CFR 404.909
A request for reconsideration is due within 60 days after the date you receive the initial denial, under 20 CFR 404.909 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1409 for SSI. A written hearing request is due within 60 days after the date you receive the reconsideration notice, under 20 CFR 404.933 and 20 CFR 416.1433.
The date you receive a notice has a fixed meaning. Under 20 CFR 404.901 and 20 CFR 416.1401, it is 5 days after the date on the notice, unless you show you did not receive it within that 5-day period.
A late request can still go forward if Social Security finds good cause. 20 CFR 404.911 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1411 for SSI look at what kept you from filing on time, and their examples include a death or serious illness in your immediate family. Good cause is a finding, not an automatic extension, so file as soon as you can. Our appeals page covers each level in order.
Common questions
Peoria, Illinois Disability Claim Questions
Are Bloomington and Springfield claimants heard by the Peoria office?
Social Security's hearing office data lists both the Bloomington and Springfield field offices under Peoria, along with Decatur, Galesburg, Pekin, Peoria, Rock Island and Davenport, Iowa. Jurisdiction follows the claimant's residence address, and Social Security can transfer cases.
Where do I send a records request for a Methodist or Proctor visit from before April 2023?
Carle's records page lists Methodist, Proctor and Pekin in its West Region, with signed release forms mailed to Health Information Management, Carle Health Proctor Hospital, 5409 N. Knoxville Ave., Peoria, IL 61614. The page does not mention records from the UnityPoint years, so call the West Region line at (309) 691-1047 to confirm the request reaches them.
Does OSF charge for medical records sent to my lawyer?
OSF's request page says records sent to the patient or to another provider for continuing care are free of charge, and records sent to others, such as an attorney or a third-party organization, are billed to that requestor. The page gives no amounts.
I moved from Pekin to Champaign after requesting a hearing. Does my case leave Peoria?
Not automatically. Under HALLEX I-2-0-70, if you have not objected to a phone or agency video appearance, the office schedules your appearance by phone, agency video or, with your agreement, online video whenever possible. In that situation a transfer comes into question when those formats are not possible and you would need to travel more than 75 miles.
My denial notice is dated March 1. What date starts my 60 days?
Social Security treats the notice as received on March 6, five days after its date, unless you show it reached you later. The appeal is due within 60 days after that date.
Discuss your claim
Talk Through Your Peoria Claim by Phone or Video
Tell us your address, the date on your most recent Social Security notice and the hearing office your letters name, if any. We respond within 3 business hours.