Video Hearing Usage Varies Widely

From a summary of a recent report by Social Security's Office of Inspector General (OIG):

The number of hearings increased by 260 percent over a 4-year period, from 23,418 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 to 84,121 in FY 2009. Approximately 18 percent of all hearings was conducted by video in FY 2009. Video usage varied from 34.8 percent of all hearings in the Boston Region to 9 percent in the New York Region. Moreover, the Atlanta Region held approximately 26 percent of all video hearings held nationwide in FY 2009, double the next highest Region, Dallas, at 13 percent.

Hearing office video usage varied widely, with approximately 22 percent of the hearing offices using video equipment for less than 1 percent of their hearings. We also found that 19 percent of ALJs did not use the equipment at all in FY 2009. In our discussions with ALJs, we learned that low video use related to factors such as workloads, preferred work styles, equipment problems, and lack of training.

The link to the full report is not working.

One thing to keep in mind is that video hearings are more likely in less urban areas where a hearing office covers a territory that extends out for a hundred miles or more. This sort of hearing office is likely to have remote video sites and lots of video hearings while a hearing office in New York City will be conducting virtually no video hearings since the claimants it serves will all live within a few miles of the hearing office.