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Cleveland Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times

Ohio · SSA Region 05

Approval Rate

50.8%

vs 58.3% national

Wait Time

6 months

vs 8 months national

Processing Time

231 days

avg days to decision

Cases Pending

2,744

awaiting hearing

ALJs

12

active judges

Cleveland 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
Louis Aliberti 75.3% 24.7% 63.5% 389 457
Amy Budney 67.6% 32.4% 52.5% 343 400
Traci M Hixson 66.8% 33.2% 48.6% 467 528
Joseph A Rose 66.7% 33.3% 59.5% 336 385
Keith J Kearney 56.6% 43.4% 50.1% 419 491
William Leland 54.2% 45.8% 51.1% 448 525
Genevieve Adamo 53.3% 46.7% 41.4% 360 400
Eric Westley 52.6% 47.4% 46.7% 403 502
Frederick Andreas 48.9% 51.1% 45% 180 203
Joseph G Hajjar 32.7% 67.3% 28.5% 309 401
Penny Loucas 27.5% 72.5% 21.7% 378 456
Catherine MA 16.1% 83.9% 10.6% 274 350

About the Cleveland Social Security Hearing Office

Cleveland is a Social Security disability hearing office serving claimants in Ohio. Operating within SSA Region 05, the office has 12 ALJs who preside over disability appeals. With 12 ALJs, this is one of the larger hearing offices in the system, handling a substantial volume of disability cases each fiscal year.

The office's average approval rate is 50.8%, which is below the national average of 58.3%. A lower aggregate rate does not necessarily indicate stricter standards — it may reflect differences in case demographics, representation quality, or the types of conditions presented at hearings. Individual judge approval rates at this office range from 16.1% to 75.3%, a 59-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 231 days. There are currently 2,744 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 229 pending cases per judge.

Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 43.3%. 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 Cleveland Hearing Office Data

Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Cleveland, 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 231 days average processing time, claimants at Cleveland can expect a total timeline of roughly 14 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 Cleveland have collectively issued 4,306 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 359 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 180 to 467 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.

Cleveland Hearing Office FAQ

What are my chances of approval at Cleveland?
The average ALJ approval rate at Cleveland is 50.8% for FY 2025. This rate combines both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions.

Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 16.1% to 75.3%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 43.3%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
Who are the Administrative Law Judges at Cleveland?
The Cleveland office has 12 administrative law judges. Decision counts range from 180 to 467 in the current fiscal year. See the judges table above for individual statistics.
How long do disability cases take at Cleveland?
The current average wait time at Cleveland is 6 months. This is shorter than the national average of 8 months. After the hearing, decisions are issued in an average of 231 days.

From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 14 months. These wait time figures represent the latest available snapshot and may fluctuate as hearing volumes and judge availability change over time.
How is office data calculated?
With 12 judges handling cases, this is one of the larger hearing offices. Office statistics are calculated by aggregating individual judge decision data. See our methodology page for details on data sources and calculations. All statistics are drawn from publicly available SSA disposition data, updated periodically as new fiscal year reports become available.
What percentage of approvals at Cleveland are fully favorable?
When a judge issues a fully favorable ruling, benefits begin from the claimant's requested onset date. A partially favorable ruling still awards benefits but may adjust the onset to a later date, which affects retroactive payments. The approval rate combines both outcome types. At Cleveland, the average fully favorable rate across judges is 43.3%.
How does Cleveland rank among other hearing offices in the state?
Of the 6 hearing offices in Ohio, Cleveland has the lowest approval rate at 50.8%. In terms of wait time, Cleveland ranks 1 of 6 (6 months). Visit the Ohio overview page for a full comparison of all offices in the state.

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