Houston West Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
Texas · SSA Region 06
Approval Rate
56%
vs 58.3% national
Wait Time
6.5 months
vs 8 months national
Processing Time
248 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
2,141
awaiting hearing
ALJs
11
active judges
Houston West 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helen F Strong | 86.4% | 13.6% | 83.2% | 309 | 385 |
| Laura Bach | 71% | 29% | 56.5% | 441 | 506 |
| Robert N Burdette | 67.3% | 32.7% | 61% | 333 | 423 |
| Timothy Suing | 62.9% | 37.1% | 51.4% | 70 | 83 |
| Mark J Mendola | 60% | 40% | 40% | 5 | 8 |
| Richard A Gilbert | 59.4% | 40.6% | 54.7% | 433 | 521 |
| Kimani R Eason | 49.1% | 50.9% | 34.8% | 391 | 459 |
| Solomon Boyle | 49% | 51% | 42.8% | 304 | 402 |
| Kelly Matthews | 40.1% | 59.9% | 28.1% | 342 | 413 |
| Caroline H Beers | 37.4% | 62.6% | 30.9% | 372 | 415 |
| Vincent Bennett | 36.1% | 63.9% | 32% | 244 | 303 |
About the Houston West Social Security Hearing Office
The Houston West hearing office is part of the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearings Operations in Texas. This office is in SSA Region 06 and currently has 11 administrative law judges who hear disability appeals. With 11 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 rate represents the aggregate of all judge decisions at the office and includes both fully favorable and partially favorable outcomes. Individual judge approval rates at this office range from 36.1% to 86.4%, a 50-point spread that reflects significant variation in decision patterns among judges.
The current average wait time for a hearing at this office is 6.5 months, which is comparable to the national average of 8 months. Once a hearing takes place, this office issues decisions in an average of 248 days. There are currently 2,141 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 195 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 46.9%. 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 Houston West Hearing Office Data
Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Houston West, 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 6.5 months and 248 days average processing time, claimants at Houston West can expect a total timeline of roughly 15 months from hearing request to decision.
Judges at Houston West have collectively issued 3,244 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 295 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 5 to 441 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Houston West Hearing Office FAQ
How often are disability cases approved at Houston West?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 36.1% to 86.4%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 46.9%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
How many ALJs work at Houston West?
What is the average case processing time at Houston West?
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.