Buffalo Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
New York · SSA Region 02
Approval Rate
55.3%
vs 58.3% national
Wait Time
9 months
vs 8 months national
Processing Time
333 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
2,178
awaiting hearing
ALJs
9
active judges
Buffalo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joshua Pinkus | 76.9% | 23.1% | 73.8% | 65 | 72 |
| Stephan Bell | 64.7% | 35.3% | 58.2% | 201 | 244 |
| Helen Valkavich | 63.1% | 36.9% | 49.2% | 65 | 69 |
| Bryce Baird | 61.8% | 38.2% | 50.6% | 251 | 306 |
| Paul Georger | 55.9% | 44.1% | 48.8% | 322 | 397 |
| Anna Wright | 52.4% | 47.6% | 42.9% | 105 | 111 |
| Stephen Cordovani | 50.7% | 49.3% | 44.2% | 294 | 349 |
| William M Weir | 41.4% | 58.6% | 34.3% | 353 | 418 |
| T. Kim | 37.5% | 62.5% | 25.8% | 128 | 152 |
About the Buffalo Social Security Hearing Office
The Buffalo hearing office is part of the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearings Operations in New York. This office is in SSA Region 02 and currently has 9 administrative law judges who hear disability appeals.
The office's average approval rate is 55.3%, 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 37.5% to 76.9%, a 39-point spread that reflects significant variation in decision patterns among judges.
The current average wait time for a hearing at this office is 9 months, which is comparable to the national average of 8 months. Once a hearing takes place, this office issues decisions in an average of 333 days. There are currently 2,178 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 242 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 47.5%. 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 Buffalo Hearing Office Data
Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Buffalo, 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 9 months and 333 days average processing time, claimants at Buffalo can expect a total timeline of roughly 20 months from hearing request to decision.
Judges at Buffalo have collectively issued 1,784 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 198 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 65 to 353 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Buffalo Hearing Office FAQ
How often are disability cases approved at Buffalo?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 37.5% to 76.9%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 47.5%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
How many ALJs work at Buffalo?
What is the average case processing time at Buffalo?
From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 20 months. Wait times are snapshots from the most recent SSA data release and can shift as caseloads, staffing, and scheduling capacity change.