Rochester, New York
Rochester SSDI and SSI Representation From Application to Hearing
Social Security's Rochester hearing office, in the U.S. Federal Building at 100 State Street, decides disability appeals from just three field offices: Rochester, Greece and Geneva. Downard & Associates represents claimants in Rochester, New York, and across that service area 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.
How we help
How We Represent Rochester Claimants by Phone and Video
Consultations happen by phone or video, and our attorneys handle hearings from Tennessee by phone or video.
The Social Security regulations are the same in Rochester as anywhere else. The local work is in the details around them: which records office holds your treatment history, how you will appear before the judge, and whether you need a sign language interpreter or real-time captioning to testify.
We handle applications, reconsideration, hearings and Appeals Council review, and our appeals representation page explains the steps after a denial. Our New York disability lawyer page covers statewide programs and the other New York offices.
We have no Rochester 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 State Street Hearing Office and Its Three Field Offices
Social Security's hearing office locator lists the Rochester hearing office at Suite 3000, U.S. Federal Building, 100 State Street, Rochester, NY 14614. It serves the Geneva, Greece and Rochester field offices, and no others.
Field offices that are not on that list go to other hearing offices. The locator sends the Batavia field office to the Buffalo hearing office at 130 Delaware Avenue, and the Corning and Elmira field offices to the Syracuse hearing office at 300 S. State Street. Which hearing office you get depends on where you live, and Social Security can change these assignments, so go by your Notice of Hearing, which tells you when and how you will appear. Our hearing office routing page lists every assignment nationwide.
Hearing formats
Phone, Video or State Street: Choosing How to Appear
An agreement to online video can be withdrawn any time before the hearing starts.
Social Security offers hearings by phone, online video, agency video or in person. Its ways to attend page describes each one: in person at one of its offices, by telephone from a private location you choose, by agency video on its own equipment at one of its offices, or by online video on your smartphone, tablet or computer.
The choice has a deadline. Social Security sends a notice about these options before it schedules the hearing, and under 20 CFR 404.936 (20 CFR 416.1436 for SSI) you have 30 days after you receive it to object in writing to a phone or agency video appearance, to agree in writing to online video, or both. An agreement to online video can be withdrawn any time before the hearing starts. Our disability hearings page explains what happens once the judge opens the record.
Local treatment records
Medical Records From UR Medicine and Rochester Regional Health
UR Medicine: the University of Rochester Medical Center's records request page gives three routes: Request Medical Record Release in the Sharing menu of MyChart, the Patient Access form, or a signed and dated letter by mail, fax or email naming the patient, date of birth, the records wanted and where to send them. It asks for one method per request, to avoid duplicates. Its contact page lists the Release of Information Department at 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 616, Rochester, NY 14642, fax (585) 424-2922, phone (585) 275-2605. You can ask for a full copy, which the page says covers notes, labs, imaging, flowsheets and more, or a shorter abstract of the main notes and recent results.
The images themselves are a separate request. UR Medicine's records FAQ sends imaging requests to the appropriate department rather than to medical records, and its phone list gives (585) 273-3400 for radiology images.
Rochester Regional Health: its medical records page points patients first to the MyCare Patient Portal and also offers an online request tool, which it says takes 5 to 10 minutes to collect and verify your information. For requests by phone it lists a number for each hospital, including Rochester General Hospital at (585) 922-4521, Unity Hospital at (585) 723-7402, Newark-Wayne Community Hospital at (315) 332-2022, Clifton Springs Hospital and Clinic at (315) 462-9561 and United Memorial Medical Center at (585) 343-6030. For a fax or mail route, or for scan images, ask the hospital where you were treated how it releases them.
Deaf and hard of hearing claimants
Sign Language Interpreters and CART at a Rochester Hearing
The options it describes include a qualified sign language interpreter and real-time reporting, including CART, which must be available for the entire hearing.
UR Medicine's Deaf scholars program lists RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf and the Rochester School for the Deaf among the resources for Deaf and hard of hearing people in the Rochester community. A disability hearing turns on spoken testimony, so for a claimant who signs or relies on captioning, the communication method matters as much as the medical file.
Social Security's hearings manual, HALLEX I-2-1-72 (updated November 2024), says the hearing office holding the hearing bears the cost of any accommodation for a claimant who is deaf or hard of hearing, and that cost is not a factor in deciding whether to provide one. The options it describes include a qualified sign language interpreter and real-time reporting, including CART, which must be available for the entire hearing. If you say you need sign language, staff ask whether ASL works or another sign language is needed. For a telephone appearance, the manual lets a claimant who prefers an ASL interpreter connect through Video Relay Service, and Social Security does not supply the equipment or internet access for it.
After a denial
Rochester Appeal Deadlines
Deadline
60days
20 CFR 404.909
Every denial notice starts a 60-day window, and the window runs from the day you receive the notice. 20 CFR 404.901 presumes you received it 5 days after the date printed on it unless you show it came later. A written request for reconsideration is due within that 60 days under 20 CFR 404.909 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1409 for SSI. If reconsideration is denied, a written hearing request is due within 60 days after you receive that notice under 20 CFR 404.933 and 20 CFR 416.1433.
A late request is not automatically lost. You can ask in writing for more time and explain why, and Social Security can extend the deadline when you show good cause. Write the date each notice arrived on its envelope, because that date can matter.
Common questions
Rochester Disability Claim Questions
Is a Batavia disability hearing held in Rochester?
Not ordinarily. Social Security's hearing office locator assigns the Batavia field office to the Buffalo hearing office at 130 Delaware Avenue. The Rochester hearing office on State Street serves only the Geneva, Greece and Rochester field offices.
Will Social Security pay for an ASL interpreter at my hearing?
Yes. Social Security's hearings manual says the hearing office holding the hearing bears the cost of any accommodation for a claimant who is deaf or hard of hearing, including a qualified sign language interpreter or real-time captioning such as CART. Ask for it before the hearing is scheduled.
How do I get UR Medicine scan images, not only the written report?
Ask radiology. UR Medicine's records FAQ sends imaging requests to the appropriate department, and its phone list gives (585) 273-3400 for radiology images. The written reports can still come through the Release of Information Department.
Can I request Rochester General records without using MyCare?
Yes. Rochester Regional Health's records page offers an online request tool outside the portal and lists (585) 922-4521 for Rochester General Hospital requests by phone.
Should I fax and email the same UR Medicine records request to be safe?
No. UR Medicine's request page asks you to submit each request by only one method, whether MyChart, the Patient Access form or a signed letter, so duplicates do not slow it down.
Discuss your claim
Start a Free Review of Your Rochester Claim
Tell us which field office took your claim, what Social Security has decided and whether you will need an interpreter or captioning at a hearing. We will explain the next step by phone or video.