Social Security Disability Lawyers Serving Dayton, the Miami Valley, and Ohio

Donoff & Lutz, LLC represents people applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) throughout Dayton, the Miami Valley, and Ohio. We help people with disability applications, reconsideration appeals, hearings before administrative law judges, Appeals Council review, and federal court appeals when appropriate.

Our family has deep roots in the Dayton area. We have represented Dayton’s disabled community in applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) since 1981, and we have had our own practice in downtown Dayton since 1995. From our office at 100 W. First St. in downtown Dayton, we help people throughout Dayton, the Miami Valley, and beyond. To ensure that disabled claimants can access our office easily, our office is located on the ground floor, corner office of Talbott Tower, with plenty of available street parking. We are also close to the bus hub, and only a half-block from a nearby bus stop.

You do not have to live in downtown Dayton to contact us, and you should not assume your case is “too far away” for us to review. We regularly help people from Dayton, Beavercreek, Kettering, Centerville, Huber Heights, Springfield, Xenia, Fairborn, Middletown, Troy, Piqua, and surrounding communities. We also help claimants from farther away, including the rest of Ohio and some clients from across the country when appropriate.

Social Security Disability Help Throughout Ohio

Social Security disability cases are federal cases, but local experience still matters. A disability claim may involve a local Social Security field office, Ohio’s disability determination agency, medical records from local providers, and a hearing office if the case reaches an administrative law judge.

At Donoff & Lutz, LLC, we focus on Social Security disability claims. We help clients understand where their case stands, what deadlines apply, what evidence Social Security still needs, and how their medical conditions affect their ability to work under Social Security’s rules. We can help with:

• SSDI applications
• SSI applications
• SSI for children
• Reconsideration appeals
• Disability hearings
• Appeals Council review
• Federal court appeals
• Questions about work attempts, medical evidence, deadlines, and Social Security forms

Miami Valley Social Security Offices and the Dayton Office of Hearings Operations

Most Social Security disability cases involve three different offices: the local office, the state disability determination service, and the office of hearings operations.

A local Social Security field office may handle applications, reconsideration paperwork, updates, and other claim issues. The greater Miami Valley region has six local offices, in Downtown Dayton, Dayton West (often called “Hoover”), Middletown/Franklin, Piqua, Springfield, and Xenia. You can use the Social Security Administration’s local office look up tool to enter your zip code and identify your nearby local office. You can also check the Donoff & Lutz, LLC directory of Ohio’s Social Security Administration offices to check the contact information of your local office.

The state disability determination service (DDS)—in Ohio, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD)—makes medical determinations for disability claims at the initial and reconsideration stages. Although OOD is not perfect, it is the fifth-fastest disability determination service in the country. We are not sharing contact information for OOD: Claimants should use the phone number for their assigned adjudicator and the fax bar code that is associated with their claim.

The Office of Hearings Operations, sometimes called the hearing office or OHO, handles hearings before administrative law judges after a case reaches the hearing level. SSA recently began referring to these offices as “Hearings,” but many claimants, attorneys, and representatives still refer to them as hearing offices or OHO. For many Miami Valley disability hearings, the relevant hearing office is: SSA Office of Hearings Operations – Dayton, Courthouse Plaza SW, Suite 300, 10 N. Ludlow St., Dayton, OH 45402.

We are located at 100 W. First St., Dayton, OH 45402, in downtown Dayton. We are only a two-minute walk from the Downtown Dayton local Social Security office and the Dayton Office of Hearings Operations.

Donoff & Lutz, LLC’s Office: Directions, Parking, Bus Routes

Our office is located at 100 W. First St., Dayton, OH 45402. We are the ground-floor, corner office in Talbott Tower at the southwest corner of First Street and Ludlow St.

Our office is easy for driving—even though we are downtown, there is low traffic between the highways and our office. From the north: Take I-75 South into downtown Dayton, take Exit 53 onto Third Street, turn left on Wilkinson Street after .4 miles, and then turn right onto First Street after .2 miles (other routes from the north are very slightly quicker, but this route is a bit easier). From the south: Take I-75 North into downtown Dayton, take Exit 53 toward Second Street  (on the highway, you will get into the far right lane; at the light, stay in the second from the right lane), go straight across Second Street and turn right, and arrive at our office in .3 miles. From the east: Either (1) take US-35 West, merge onto I-75 North, take Exit 53 toward Second Street  (on the highway, you will get into the far right lane; at the light, stay in the second from the right lane), go straight across Second Street and turn right, and arrive at our office in .3 miles, or (2) take SR-4 South, merge onto I-75 South, take Exit 53 onto Third Street, turn left on Wilkinson Street after .4 miles, and then turn right onto First Street after .2 miles (other routes are very slightly quicker, but this route is a bit easier). From the west: Either (1) take Third Street into downtown, turn left on Wilkinson Street, and then turn right onto First Street after .2 miles, or (2) take US-35 East, merge onto I-75 North, take Exit 53 toward Second Street  (on the highway, you will get into the far right lane; at the light, stay in the second from the right lane), go straight across Second Street and turn right, and arrive at our office in .3 miles. Parking: There is street parking immediately in front of our office. Within a hundred yards, you can also park in the Talbott Tower valet garage, in the Arts Garage, at the 36 W. First St. lot, or at the 127 W. First St. lot.

Our office is easily accessed within the Dayton bus network. If you can walk eight minutes, take RTA to Wright Stop Plaza Transit Center downtown. From the plaza, exit to Main Street, walk north to W. First Street, then turn left/west onto First Street to 100 W. First. If you cannot walk that far, take a bus route to “Ludlow @ Monument,” and then walk south for 265 feet (you will need to cross the street once) and you will arrive at our office. If you need help walking from Ludlow @ Monument, please let our office know in advance.

Our office is very accessible for people who use mobility aids, including wheelchairs. If you have difficulty traveling to our office, however, you are always welcome to communicate with us via phone or email.