Alexandria Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
Louisiana · SSA Region 06
Approval Rate
58.5%
vs 58.3% national
Wait Time
6 months
vs 8 months national
Processing Time
216 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
1,619
awaiting hearing
ALJs
7
active judges
Alexandria ALJ Approval Rates and Decision Statistics
Individual judge statistics for FY 2025. Click any judge to see detailed performance data.
| Judge | Approval Rate | Denial Rate | Fully Favorable | Total Decisions | Dispositions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kathleen S Molinar | 73% | 27% | 69.4% | 415 | 486 |
| Robert Grant | 69.8% | 30.2% | 64.7% | 394 | 489 |
| Stephani Daniels Smoke | 64.8% | 35.2% | 56.9% | 332 | 397 |
| Carolyn Smilie | 59.2% | 40.8% | 54.4% | 333 | 405 |
| Devona Able | 48.7% | 51.3% | 37.8% | 312 | 375 |
| Steven M Rachal | 42.5% | 57.5% | 27.4% | 351 | 439 |
| Lawrence T Ragona | 39.5% | 60.5% | 31.4% | 210 | 244 |
About the Alexandria Social Security Hearing Office
The Alexandria hearing office is part of the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearings Operations in Louisiana. This office is in SSA Region 06 and currently has 7 administrative law judges who hear disability appeals.
The office's average approval rate is 58.5%, which is near the national average of 58.3%. This rate represents the aggregate of all judge decisions at the office and includes both fully favorable and partially favorable outcomes. Individual judge approval rates at this office range from 39.5% to 73%, a 34-point spread that reflects significant variation in decision patterns among judges.
The current average wait time for a hearing at this office is 6 months, which is notably shorter than the national average of 8 months. Once a hearing takes place, this office issues decisions in an average of 216 days. There are currently 1,619 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 231 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 48.9%. A fully favorable decision means the claimant receives benefits from the onset date they requested, as opposed to a partially favorable decision which may award benefits from a later date.
How to Interpret Alexandria Hearing Office Data
Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Alexandria, thorough case preparation is especially important. Since judge assignments are rotational, the specific ALJ assigned to a case is not known in advance — ensuring medical evidence and vocational documentation are comprehensive can help regardless of which judge presides.
With an average wait time of 6 months and 216 days average processing time, claimants at Alexandria can expect a total timeline of roughly 13 months from hearing request to decision. The faster-than-average processing at this office means cases may move through the system more quickly.
Judges at Alexandria have collectively issued 2,347 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 335 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 210 to 415 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Alexandria Hearing Office FAQ
What is the approval rate at Alexandria?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 39.5% to 73%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 48.9%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
Which judges hear cases at Alexandria?
How long is the wait time at Alexandria?
From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 13 months. Wait times are snapshots from the most recent SSA data release and can shift as caseloads, staffing, and scheduling capacity change.