Ft Lauderdale Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
Florida · SSA Region 04
Approval Rate
48.5%
vs 58.3% national
Wait Time
6 months
vs 8 months national
Processing Time
258 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
2,709
awaiting hearing
ALJs
10
active judges
Ft Lauderdale 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Sprague | 77.2% | 22.8% | 70.9% | 316 | 386 |
| Rossana L D'alessio | 70.8% | 29.2% | 62.6% | 356 | 427 |
| Wendy Hunn | 66.7% | 33.3% | 61% | 228 | 269 |
| Richard J Ortiz Valero | 58.3% | 41.8% | 53.8% | 400 | 504 |
| Denise Pasvantis | 53.1% | 46.9% | 48.6% | 311 | 401 |
| Jennifer Pustizzi | 45.6% | 54.4% | 39.4% | 160 | 200 |
| Lissette Labrousse | 41.8% | 58.2% | 28.9% | 349 | 440 |
| Sylvia H Alonso | 26.8% | 73.2% | 20.4% | 157 | 190 |
| Angela L Neel | 22.9% | 77.1% | 13.5% | 415 | 527 |
| Valencia Jarvis | 17.8% | 82.2% | 11.8% | 331 | 412 |
About the Ft Lauderdale Social Security Hearing Office
The Ft Lauderdale hearing office is part of the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearings Operations in Florida. This office is in SSA Region 04 and currently has 10 administrative law judges who hear disability appeals. With 10 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 48.5%, which is below the national average of 58.3%. Approval rates are influenced by many factors including case mix, quality of representation, and individual judge decision-making patterns. Individual judge approval rates at this office range from 17.8% to 77.2%, 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 258 days. There are currently 2,709 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 271 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 41.1%. 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 Ft Lauderdale Hearing Office Data
Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Ft Lauderdale, 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 258 days average processing time, claimants at Ft Lauderdale can expect a total timeline of roughly 15 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 Ft Lauderdale have collectively issued 3,023 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 302 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 157 to 415 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Ft Lauderdale Hearing Office FAQ
What is the approval rate at Ft Lauderdale?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 17.8% to 77.2%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 41.1%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
Which judges hear cases at Ft Lauderdale?
How long is the wait time at Ft Lauderdale?
From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 15 months. Wait times are snapshots from the most recent SSA data release and can shift as caseloads, staffing, and scheduling capacity change.