Wilmington, North Carolina
SSDI and SSI Lawyers for Wilmington, North Carolina, a Field Office Listed in Two States
The Wilmington, North Carolina, Social Security field office sits on two hearing office lists at once: the Fayetteville office on Rowan Street and the Charleston, South Carolina, office on Faber Place Drive in North Charleston. Downard & Associates represents adults in Wilmington, North Carolina, and the towns around it with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims through every stage before Social Security, from the application to Appeals Council review. There is no fee unless you win.
How we help
Working With Wilmington Claimants From Lebanon, Tennessee
Consultations happen by phone or video, and our attorneys handle hearings from Tennessee by phone or video.
Most of what decides a Wilmington claim is the same as anywhere: the medical record, the work history and the deadlines. Two things are local. The hearing could come from an office in either state, and New Hanover Regional Medical Center joined Novant Health in 2021 and took the Novant name in 2022, so older and newer hospital paperwork can carry different names.
We handle applications, reconsideration, hearings and Appeals Council review, for SSDI and for SSI claims, and we respond within 3 business hours.
We have no Wilmington 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
Fayetteville or North Charleston: The Two Offices Listed for Wilmington
Social Security's hearing office locator data puts the Wilmington field office on two lists:
Fayetteville hearing office: 2nd Floor, 150 Rowan Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301. Wilmington shares this list with Goldsboro, Fayetteville, Kinston, New Bern, Lumberton, Rockingham, Sanford and Whiteville.
Charleston hearing office: Suite 300, 3875 Faber Place Drive, North Charleston, SC 29405. Wilmington is the only North Carolina field office on this list; the rest are Beaufort, Charleston, Conway, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach and Walterboro in South Carolina.
Both entries give office hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The data does not say which listing governs a particular claim, and a Wilmington claimant should read the Notice of Hearing for the office handling the case.
Which hearing office has a case is decided by the claimant's residence address. Social Security's operations manual, POMS GN 03103.040, says the hearing office that services the claimant's residence address has jurisdiction, even if the claimant has a representative whose office is in another hearing office's service area. Hiring a Tennessee firm does not move a Wilmington case to Tennessee. Our hearing office directory lists offices nationwide, and our North Carolina disability lawyer page covers the offices that decide claims elsewhere in the state.
Hearing formats
Phone, Video or In Person for a Wilmington Hearing
An online video agreement 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 a phone hearing from a private location you choose and agency video on Social Security's own equipment at one of its offices.
The choice has a deadline. Under 20 CFR 404.936 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1436 for SSI, an objection to a phone or agency video appearance must be in writing within 30 days after you receive Social Security's notice about the format, and agreement to online video has the same 30-day written window. An online video agreement can be withdrawn any time before the hearing starts. If Social Security schedules a phone hearing, or you agree in writing to online video, you take part from a private location instead of traveling to Rowan Street or Faber Place Drive. Our page on disability hearings walks through the hearing itself.
Local treatment records
Medical Records From Novant Health and Wilmington Health
Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center: Novant's history page says New Hanover Regional Medical Center joined Novant Health on February 1, 2021, and lists it with Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center and Novant Health Pender Medical Center. The hospital took the name Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in 2022, so older records can carry the New Hanover Regional Medical Center name alone.
Novant's records request page says request processes vary by facility, so confirm the route with the hospital. It points patients to MyChart first, where copies can be requested at no cost from the Document Center under My Record. Outside MyChart, the Authorization to Disclose Protected Health or Billing Information form, one per patient, goes to Novant Health Release of Information by fax to 704-316-9556, by email to ROIenterprise@novanthealth.org or by mail to P.O. Box 7688, Charlotte, NC 28241. Questions go to 1-844-763-9163.
Imaging follows a date line on that page. MyChart allows downloads of certain diagnostic images completed in 2021 and later. Older images, and any not in MyChart, come through Release of Information on CD only, for a fee. Novant's records FAQ says it has up to 30 days to respond, notifies you of any fees up front and tries to release records within 1 to 2 business days of receiving payment.
Wilmington Health: its records and forms page offers an Authorization to Release Medical Records form and an online authorization, with a mailing address of Attn: Medical Records, 1202 Medical Center Drive, Wilmington, NC 28401, and a Medical Records line at 910-341-3308. Two defaults on the page matter for a disability claim. If no date range is selected, only the last three visits are provided, and an authorization with no expiration chosen expires one year from the date signed. Radiology images are processed by the Radiology Department, mailed records in large volumes come on a disc, and requests are processed off-site, so there is no pickup.
A different hearing office
Asking Social Security for a Different Hearing Office
A Wilmington claimant on a two-office list may prefer one office over the other. The same POMS section describes how that request works. If a claimant wants a hearing in an office other than the servicing one, the field office takes a signed statement of the reasons, attaches it to the hearing request, form HA-501, and forwards both to the servicing hearing office.
The request is a request, not a transfer. POMS GN 03103.040 tells field office staff to advise the claimant that Social Security will consider it and give notice of whether the case moves to the requested office. Until that notice arrives, treat the office named on Social Security's letters as the one handling the case.
After a denial
Counting the Days After a Wilmington Denial
Deadline
60days
20 CFR 404.909
Each denial notice opens a 60-day window for the next written appeal. 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. Social Security treats a notice as received 5 days after the date printed on it unless you show it did not reach you in that time, under 20 CFR 404.901, and 20 CFR 416.1401 for SSI.
A missed deadline is not always the end. 20 CFR 404.911 for SSDI and 20 CFR 416.1411 for SSI list examples of good cause for a late request, among them important records destroyed or damaged by fire or other accidental cause, and a notice you never received. Social Security weighs good cause case by case, so file the appeal as soon as you can and write down what kept you from filing on time. Our appeals page covers each level in order.
Common questions
Wilmington, North Carolina Disability Claim Questions
Can I ask for a Fayetteville hearing instead of North Charleston?
You can ask. Under POMS GN 03103.040, the field office takes a signed statement of your reasons, attaches it to the hearing request and sends both to the servicing hearing office, and Social Security notifies you whether the case transfers.
Does hiring a Tennessee law firm move my hearing to Tennessee?
No. The hearing office that services your residence address keeps jurisdiction even when your representative's office is in another hearing office's service area.
How do I request a Novant Health MRI or CT image taken before 2021?
Novant's records page says images from before 2021, and any not available in MyChart, are requested through Novant Health Release of Information and provided on CD only, for a fee. Certain images from 2021 and later can be downloaded in MyChart.
What does Wilmington Health send if I leave the date range blank on its records form?
Only the last three visits. For a disability claim, fill in the full date range of your treatment so the request covers every visit that matters.
My Social Security notice arrived late. Do I still have 60 days?
The 60 days run from the date you receive the notice, which Social Security counts as 5 days after the notice date unless you show it reached you later. Keep the envelope and write the arrival date on it.
Discuss your claim
Talk Through Your Wilmington, North Carolina Claim by Phone or Video
Tell us your address, the date on your most recent Social Security notice and which hearing office, if any, your letters name. We respond within 3 business hours.