Social Security disability
Disability benefits in North Carolina
Social Security rules are the same in every state. This page covers what is different in North Carolina: who decides your claim, state money added to SSI, Medicaid, hearings and free help.
You have 60 days to appeal each decision, plus 5 days for mail.
Who decides your claim in North Carolina?
Disability Determination Services (DDS)
This state division decides the medical part of your Social Security disability claim. Your local Social Security office checks the other rules, like age, work and income, and then sends your case to DDS. DDS gets your medical records and decides if you are disabled or blind under the law. DDS also decides disability for North Carolina Medicaid claims filed at a county Department of Social Services.
- Part of
- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)
- Phone
- 1-866-542-8113 (disability claim status)
DDS first asks your own doctors and clinics for your records. If those records are missing or not enough, DDS will set up a consultative exam (CE) to get more information. Your own treating provider is the first choice to do the exam, but DDS may use an independent provider.
Does North Carolina add money to SSI?
State/County Special Assistance (SA)
Special Assistance helps people with low income who need the level of care given in an adult care home. You must be 65 or older, or 18 to 64 and disabled under Social Security's rules. You can get it in an adult care home (assisted living), a family care home, a group home, a special care unit, or in your own home through the In-Home program. It is not a set amount added to SSI. Your monthly check is the state's maximum rate plus a $70 personal needs allowance, minus your countable income, such as SSI or Social Security.
Paid by: the state
| Who | Highest rate | Maintenance amount with personal needs allowance | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult care home (assisted living) - Basic Rate | $1,397 | $1,467 | January 1, 2026 |
| Special care unit for Alzheimer's disease or dementia - Enhanced Rate | $1,792 | $1,862 | January 1, 2026 |
| Special Assistance In-Home (SAIH), living in your own home - Basic Rate | $1,397 | $1,467 | January 1, 2026 |
| Special Assistance In-Home (SAIH) - Enhanced Rate (Alzheimer's or dementia diagnosis) | $1,792 | $1,862 | January 1, 2026 |
- How to apply
- This is not automatic with SSI. Apply at your county Department of Social Services (DSS). Someone can apply for you. If you get Special Assistance, you also get Medicaid.
- Contact
- NCDHHS Division of Social Services - State/County Special Assistance (apply at your county DSS)
https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/social-services/special-assistance/state-and-county-special-assistance-adult-care-home-residents
Medicaid in North Carolina
If you get SSI in North Carolina, you also get NC Medicaid. You do not need a separate Medicaid application. Social Security makes the Medicaid decision for the state when it approves your SSI.
- Program
- NC Medicaid
- Medicaid agency
- NC Medicaid, Division of Health Benefits (NCDHHS)
https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/
888-245-0179 (NC Medicaid Contact Center, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
Medicaid for working people with disabilities: Health Coverage for Workers with Disabilities (HCWD)
HCWD gives full Medicaid to people with disabilities who work. You must be 16 through 64, have a job, and meet Social Security's disability rule except for earnings (or be in the Medically Improved Group). Your unearned income cannot be more than 150% of the federal poverty level. If your countable income is over 150% of the poverty level, you pay a $50 enrollment fee each year. If it is over 200%, you also pay a monthly premium. Apply at your county Department of Social Services.
https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/beneficiaries/apply/eligibility/medicaid-workers-disabilities
State disability and paid leave in North Carolina
North Carolina has no state-run short-term disability or paid medical leave program listed here.
Hearing offices and federal court in North Carolina
4 hearing offices serve North Carolina. Hearing office locator (Social Security)
Charlotte, NC Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 200, 2201 Coronation Boulevard, Charlotte, NC 28227
- Phone
- (888) 397-4124
- Fax
- (833) 719-0412
Fayetteville, NC Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- 2nd Floor, 150 Rowan Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301
- Phone
- (888) 552-7169
- Fax
- (833) 956-1140
Greensboro, NC Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 300, 101 South Edgeworth Street, Greensboro, NC 27401
- Phone
- (866) 690-2091
- Fax
- (833) 616-0128
Raleigh, NC Hearing Office
Hearing office
- Address
- Suite 200, 3315 Poole Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610
- Phone
- (866) 708-3174
- Fax
- (833) 499-0273
Federal district court
If you appeal to federal court, you file in the district court that covers your county.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (46)
- Beaufort
- Bertie
- Bladen
- Brunswick
- Camden
- Carteret
- Chowan
- Columbus
- Craven
- Cumberland
- Currituck
- Dare
- Duplin
- Edgecombe
- Franklin
- Gates
- Granville
- Greene
- Halifax
- Harnett
- Hertford
- Hyde
- Johnston
- Jones
- Lenoir
- Martin
- Nash
- New Hanover
- Northampton
- Onslow
- Pamlico
- Pasquotank
- Pender
- Perquimans
- Pitt
- Robeson
- Sampson
- Tyrrell
- Vance
- Wake
- Warren
- Washington
- Wayne
- Wilson
- Hoke, Moore, Richmond and Scotland (only the Fort Bragg Military Reservation and Camp Mackall areas)
- Durham (only the Federal Correctional Institution, Butner)
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (24)
- Alamance
- Cabarrus
- Caswell
- Chatham
- Davidson
- Davie
- Durham (except FCI Butner)
- Forsyth
- Guilford
- Hoke (except Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall)
- Lee
- Montgomery
- Moore (except Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall)
- Orange
- Person
- Randolph
- Richmond (except Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall)
- Rockingham
- Rowan
- Scotland (except Fort Bragg and Camp Mackall)
- Stanly
- Stokes
- Surry
- Yadkin
U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
Court help for people without a lawyer
Counties covered (32)
- Alexander
- Alleghany
- Anson
- Ashe
- Avery
- Buncombe
- Burke
- Caldwell
- Catawba
- Cherokee
- Clay
- Cleveland
- Gaston
- Graham
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Iredell
- Jackson
- Lincoln
- McDowell
- Macon
- Madison
- Mecklenburg
- Mitchell
- Polk
- Rutherford
- Swain
- Transylvania
- Union
- Watauga
- Wilkes
- Yancey
Free help in North Carolina
Protection & Advocacy agency (P&A)
Disability Rights North Carolina
- Phone
- 919-856-2195 (toll-free 877-235-4210, TTY 888-268-5535)
Legal aid
- Legal Aid of North Carolina
https://legalaidnc.org/
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
Division of Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities (EIPD), NCDHHS
- Phone
- 1-800-689-9090
Good to know in North Carolina
- North Carolina's state money for people with low income who need care is called Special Assistance. It is for people who need adult care home care, in a care home or at home. It is not a set amount added to SSI. Since January 1, 2026, the Basic Rate is $1,397 a month and the Enhanced Rate (for Alzheimer's or dementia) is $1,792 a month. Your check is that rate plus $70 for personal needs, minus your countable income. You apply at your county DSS. (NCDHHS letter EFS-SA-04-2025)
- North Carolina's DDS also decides disability for state Medicaid claims. You file a Medicaid disability claim at your county Department of Social Services. (NCDHHS DDS)
- NC Medicaid expanded to more people in December 2023. (NC Medicaid)
Recent changes
January 1, 2026: Special Assistance rates rose by the 2.8% Social Security COLA, to a $1,397 Basic Rate and a $1,792 Enhanced Rate, as required each January by Session Law 2022-74 (NCDHHS letters EFS-SA-03-2025 and EFS-SA-04-2025). December 2023: NC Medicaid expansion (NC Medicaid home page).
More RobinClaim guides for North Carolina → · All states
Sources
- NCDHHS - Disability Determination Services
- NCDHHS - DSS letter EFS-SA-04-2025, SA and SAIH Rate Adjustments for 2026 (Dec. 9, 2025)
- NCDHHS - State and County Special Assistance for Adult Care Home Residents
- NCDHHS - Special Assistance Adult Care Home brochure (12/2025)
- NCDHHS - DSS letter EFS-SA-03-2025, SA and SAIH Rate Adjustments for 2026 (Nov. 5, 2025)
- NCDHHS - State/County Special Assistance In-Home Program brochure (12/2025)
- SSA POMS SI 01415.010 - Administration of State Supplementary Programs
- SSA POMS SI 01415.058 - Federally Administered Optional Supplementary Payment Programs for January 2026
- SSA POMS SI 01715.010 - Medicaid and the SSI Program
- NC Medicaid - Medicaid for Workers with Disabilities
- NC Medicaid home page
- NCDHHS - Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities
- NC ABLE
- NDRN - Member Agencies (North Carolina)
- LSC - Our Grantees
- Legal Aid of North Carolina
- SSA Ticket to Work - Find Help (WIPA search by ZIP)
- 28 U.S.C. §113 - North Carolina (govinfo)
- Social Security: office locator
- Social Security: hearing office locator
Last checked: November 2026