@gizmo Hopefully you have an attorney but if she is doing it "Pro Se", this is generally how it goes. The Judge or Magistrate will have a medical doctor and a vocational expert at his/her disposal. Usually those 2 experts are on a speaker phone but can be in the hearing room in person.
If her medical records show illness to the level prescribed my SSDI law, the Judge will sometimes decide based solely on the records he/she has. If the medical evidence is insufficient, then the Judge will try to determine whether her level of illness prevents her from gainful employment. Not necessarily what work she used to do but any work suitable from her education and training history. This is why the vocational expert is there.
It is not an adversarial hearing. The Judge just wants to know if either the illness rises to the level prescribed by law, or the illnesses rise to a level that prevents her to work, or a combination of the two.
Sometimes the hearing only takes a few minutes, sometimes it can take much longer. The Judge will take as long as necessary. The time he or she takes is not an indicator on whether it's denied or granted. Sometimes the Judge will tell you right off he will grant your appeal but most of the time you'll wait for the written decision. Depending on your State's caseload, it may take a while but you'll eventually receive a very detailed set of documents explaining the judges decision. The Judge can deny outright, grant for a set period of time, or grant a fully favorable decision meaning it goes back to the date of filing and continues for the future pending any future reassessment of the claim. Don't stress over that. As long as the conditions continue and she doesn't return to work, the decision continues.
While waiting for the decision, be sure to call your local Social Security Office and update or give them your checking account information. You do this so that, if the claim is granted, Social Security can deposit the back pay and current payment immediately. If it is granted back to the date of filing and that date is greater than 24 months, she will be issued a Medicare card.
There might be a few things I forgot but that is the process we went though. My sufferer was granted a fully favorable decision due to her physical illnesses made working impossible. Her process took 4 years.
I hope this answered your questions.
