Columbia SC Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
South Carolina · SSA Region 04
Approval Rate
61%
vs 58.3% national
Wait Time
7 months
vs 8 months national
Processing Time
265 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
1,484
awaiting hearing
ALJs
27
active judges
Columbia SC 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert B Bowling | 100% | N/A | 100% | 2 | 2 |
| Michael E Finnie | 100% | N/A | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| Sonya Grounds | 100% | N/A | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| Brandie Hall | 100% | N/A | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| Brian Jones | 100% | N/A | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| Stephanie M Jones | 100% | N/A | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| Mary M Renfroe | 100% | N/A | 100% | 8 | 8 |
| Todd Spangler | 100% | N/A | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| Gonzalo Vallecillo | 100% | N/A | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| Jennifer Pustizzi | 91.7% | 8.3% | 91.7% | 12 | 14 |
| Stacy Gray | 83.3% | 16.7% | 66.7% | 6 | 7 |
| John A Thawley | 80% | 20% | 80% | 5 | 5 |
| Ashley L Bumgarner | 79.1% | 20.9% | 64.5% | 110 | 117 |
| Ronald Fleming | 74% | 26% | 67.1% | 146 | 209 |
| Grant Dail | 71.4% | 28.6% | 71.4% | 7 | 7 |
| Herin JR. | 64.1% | 35.9% | 49.5% | 220 | 249 |
| Jonathan T Shoenholz | 60.7% | 39.3% | 51.7% | 300 | 350 |
| Christopher R Daniels | 56% | 44% | 49.7% | 298 | 363 |
| Joshua Vineyard | 51.1% | 48.9% | 40.2% | 323 | 393 |
| Anthony Capece | 50.8% | 49.2% | 42.8% | 325 | 386 |
| Philip J Healy | 50% | 50% | 50% | 2 | 2 |
| Christopher Messina | 50% | 50% | 50% | 2 | 2 |
| R. Dirk Selland | 50% | 50% | 33.3% | 6 | 6 |
| Flora L Vinson | 50% | 50% | 25% | 20 | 24 |
| Paul Elkin | 49% | 51% | 44.5% | 308 | 362 |
| Robert Droker | N/A | 100% | N/A | 1 | 1 |
| Mario G Silva | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 |
About the Columbia SC Social Security Hearing Office
Columbia SC is a Social Security disability hearing office serving claimants in South Carolina. Operating within SSA Region 04, the office has 27 ALJs who preside over disability appeals. With 27 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 61%, which is near the national average of 58.3%. Being close to the national average suggests this office's case mix and decision patterns are broadly representative of the system as a whole. Individual judge approval rates at this office range from 0% to 100%, a 100-point spread that reflects significant variation in decision patterns among judges.
The current average wait time for a hearing at this office is 7 months, which is comparable to the national average of 8 months. Once a hearing takes place, this office issues decisions in an average of 265 days. There are currently 1,484 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 55 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 68.4%. 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 Columbia SC Hearing Office Data
Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Columbia SC, 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 7 months and 265 days average processing time, claimants at Columbia SC can expect a total timeline of roughly 16 months from hearing request to decision.
Judges at Columbia SC have collectively issued 2,108 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 78 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 1 to 325 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Columbia SC Hearing Office FAQ
What are my chances of approval at Columbia SC?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 0% to 100%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 68.4%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
Who are the Administrative Law Judges at Columbia SC?
How long do disability cases take at Columbia SC?
From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 16 months. These wait time figures represent the latest available snapshot and may fluctuate as hearing volumes and judge availability change over time.