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Official SSA Data

Fresno Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times

California · SSA Region 09

Approval Rate

56%

vs 58.3% national

Wait Time

14.5 months

vs 8 months national

Processing Time

481 days

avg days to decision

Cases Pending

1,827

awaiting hearing

ALJs

15

active judges

Fresno 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
Tom Duann 100% N/A 100% 1 4
Yasmin Elias 100% N/A 100% 1 1
David W Engel 84.2% 15.8% 84.2% 19 27
Mark Yasutomi 83.3% 16.7% 45.8% 24 39
Marykay Rauenzahn 75% 25% 62.5% 8 12
Helen Valkavich 75% 25% 55% 20 25
Jeffrey Mastin 72.7% 27.3% 72.7% 11 17
Nancy M Stewart 69.7% 30.3% 58.7% 327 364
Shiva Bozarth 64.9% 35.1% 57.9% 259 312
Timothy Suing 62.5% 37.5% 50% 8 11
Scot Septer 58.4% 41.6% 47.4% 361 405
Eva Chan 54.6% 45.4% 39.3% 183 218
Young L Bechtold 35.1% 64.9% 19.5% 77 93
Katherine Loo N/A 100% N/A 1 1
Trina Mengesha Brown N/A N/A N/A N/A 2

About the Fresno Social Security Hearing Office

The Social Security Administration operates the Fresno hearing office in California as part of its Office of Hearings Operations. Located in SSA Region 09, 15 Administrative Law Judges conduct disability hearings at this location. With 15 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 56%, which is near the national average of 58.3%. This figure combines both fully favorable and partially favorable outcomes from all judges at the office. 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 14.5 months, which is longer than the national average of 8 months. Longer wait times can reflect higher caseload volume relative to available judges. Once a hearing takes place, this office issues decisions in an average of 481 days. There are currently 1,827 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 122 pending cases per judge.

Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 56.6%. 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 Fresno Hearing Office Data

Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Fresno, 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 14.5 months and 481 days average processing time, claimants at Fresno can expect a total timeline of roughly 31 months from hearing request to decision. This longer-than-average wait underscores the importance of having complete medical evidence ready well before the hearing date.

Judges at Fresno have collectively issued 1,300 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 87 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 1 to 361 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.

Fresno Hearing Office FAQ

What are my chances of approval at Fresno?
The average ALJ approval rate at Fresno is 56% for FY 2025. This rate combines both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions.

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 56.6%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
Who are the Administrative Law Judges at Fresno?
The Fresno office has 15 administrative law judges. Of these, 5 have issued 50 or more decisions in FY 2025. Decision counts range from 1 to 361 in the current fiscal year. See the judges table above for individual statistics.
How long do disability cases take at Fresno?
The current average wait time at Fresno is 14.5 months. This is longer than the national average of 8 months. After the hearing, decisions are issued in an average of 481 days.

From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 31 months. Wait time averages reflect the most recently reported SSA data and will evolve as new disposition reports are released.
How is office data calculated?
With 15 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. Source data comes from the Social Security Administration's public reporting on ALJ decisions, which we incorporate as updates are released.
What percentage of approvals at Fresno are fully favorable?
"Fully favorable" means the claimant receives benefits effective from their originally claimed onset date. "Partially favorable" also grants benefits but may start them from a later date. Both decisions are counted as approvals in the statistics. The onset date difference can significantly affect the total retroactive benefit amount. At Fresno, the average fully favorable rate across judges is 56.6%.
How does Fresno rank among other hearing offices in the state?
Of the 17 hearing offices in California, Fresno ranks 14 of 17 with an approval rate of 56%. In terms of wait time, Fresno ranks 17 of 17 (14.5 months). Visit the California overview page for a full comparison of all offices in the state.

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