Section 853.50  Hearing Sites

a)         The Disability Hearing Division will use the following locations as sites for disability hearings:  

1)         SSA District Offices,

2)         Disability Hearing Office in Springfield,

3)         Centrally located office in the Chicago Loop,

4)         Other designated sites, such as Federal court offices, when the SSA district offices have inadequate facilities or are not readily accessible.

b)         The disability hearing sites will be accessible to disabled individuals and to various modes of public transportation.

c)         Scheduling of hearings at a site will be affected by the following factors:  

1)         Number of hearings requiring scheduling within a particular geographic area,

2)         Availability of hearings officers, and

3)         Amount of travel required.

d)         When factors dictate (i.e., two or more hearings require scheduling within a particular geographic area, the availability of hearings officers is limited and/or a large amount of travel time is required), hearings will be grouped and held at a centrally located site within the geographic area involved.

e)         The Disability Hearing Division will make every effort to conduct hearings at a site close to the beneficiary's place of residence and to ensure that the beneficiary will not be requested to travel more than 75 miles one way from his/her place of residence to a hearing site.