Fargo Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
North Dakota · SSA Region 08
Approval Rate
62.5%
vs 58.3% national
Wait Time
7 months
vs 8 months national
Processing Time
256 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
1,086
awaiting hearing
ALJs
4
active judges
Fargo 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brenda Rosten | 65.9% | 34.1% | 55.3% | 416 | 486 |
| Richard Hlaudy | 65.6% | 34.4% | 53.8% | 372 | 447 |
| Chris Stuber | 61.2% | 38.8% | 56.5% | 425 | 485 |
| Christel Ambuehl | 53.2% | 46.8% | 43.6% | 218 | 262 |
About the Fargo Social Security Hearing Office
The Fargo hearing office is part of the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearings Operations in North Dakota. This office is in SSA Region 08 and currently has 4 administrative law judges who hear disability appeals.
The office's average approval rate is 62.5%, 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. Judge approval rates at this office range from 53.2% to 65.9%, indicating relatively consistent decision patterns across the bench.
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 256 days. There are currently 1,086 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 272 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 52.3%. 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 Fargo Hearing Office Data
The relatively consistent decision patterns across judges at Fargo can give claimants and their representatives a clearer sense of what to expect. This consistency suggests that case-level factors — strength of medical evidence, quality of representation, and vocational circumstances — are likely the primary drivers of outcomes at this office.
With an average wait time of 7 months and 256 days average processing time, claimants at Fargo can expect a total timeline of roughly 16 months from hearing request to decision.
Judges at Fargo have collectively issued 1,431 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 358 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 218 to 425 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Fargo Hearing Office FAQ
How often are disability cases approved at Fargo?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 53.2% to 65.9%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 52.3%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
How many ALJs work at Fargo?
What is the average case processing time at Fargo?
From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 16 months. Wait times are snapshots from the most recent SSA data release and can shift as caseloads, staffing, and scheduling capacity change.