Kansas City Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
Missouri · SSA Region 07
Approval Rate
56.1%
vs 57.6% national
Wait Time
8 months
vs 8.4 months national
Processing Time
281 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
4,313
awaiting hearing
ALJs
15
active judges
Kansas City ALJ Approval Rates and Decision Statistics
Individual judge statistics for 12 months ending July 2026. Click any judge to see detailed performance data.
| Judge | Approval Rate | Denial Rate | Fully Favorable | Total Decisions | Dispositions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Naggi | 90.5% | 9.5% | 83.1% | 390 | 448 |
| Diana Erickson | 83.6% | 16.4% | 73.7% | 262 | 293 |
| Michael Lehr | 77.2% | 22.8% | 71.8% | 451 | 513 |
| P H Jung | 60.5% | 39.5% | 57.7% | 324 | 389 |
| Christine Cooke | 51.5% | 48.5% | 39.2% | 130 | 141 |
| Joan H Deans | 50.9% | 49.1% | 40.2% | 405 | 469 |
| Christel Ambuehl | 50% | 50% | 37.5% | 24 | 31 |
| Michael Werner | 48.5% | 51.5% | 30.7% | 394 | 454 |
| Michael Comisky | 45% | 55% | 39.5% | 342 | 421 |
| Toni Neal | 42.4% | 57.6% | 27.3% | 33 | 42 |
| Christina Young Mein | 41.9% | 58.1% | 34% | 444 | 532 |
| Janice Barnes Williams | 41.3% | 58.7% | 33.6% | 259 | 317 |
| Robert Kelly | 24.9% | 75.1% | 19.6% | 382 | 497 |
| John Rabaut | 11.1% | 88.9% | 11.1% | 9 | 9 |
| M. S Kidd | N/A | 100% | N/A | 2 | 2 |
Former Judges at Kansas City
This judge has no recorded decisions at Kansas City in the 12 months ending July 2026. Figures below cover each judge's own last twelve reported months, ending in the month shown.
| Judge | Last Decisions Reported | Approval Rate | Total Decisions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scot Gulick | January 2025 | 37.9% | 327 |
Approval rates here cover each judge's own trailing window ending in the month shown, so they are not directly comparable with the current roster above or with national figures.
About the Kansas City Social Security Hearing Office
Claimants in the Kansas City service area have their Social Security disability appeals heard at this office, one of the hearing locations in Missouri. The office is assigned to SSA Region 07 and has 15 active ALJs. 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 56.1%, which is near the national average of 57.6%. The rate aligns with national patterns, though individual judges at this office may vary above or below this average. Individual judge approval rates at this office range from 0% to 90.5%, a 91-point spread that reflects significant variation in decision patterns among judges.
The current average wait time for a hearing at this office is 8 months, which is comparable to the national average of 8.4 months. Once a hearing takes place, this office issues decisions in an average of 281 days. There are currently 4,313 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 288 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 39.9%. A fully favorable decision awards benefits from the claimant's requested onset date, while a partially favorable decision may set a later onset date. Both count toward the overall approval rate.
How to Interpret Kansas City Hearing Office Data
Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Kansas City, 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 8 months and 281 days average processing time, claimants at Kansas City can expect a total timeline of roughly 17 months from hearing request to decision.
Judges at Kansas City have collectively issued 3,851 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 257 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 2 to 451 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Kansas City Hearing Office FAQ
What are my chances of approval at Kansas City?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 0% to 90.5%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 39.9%. The national average approval rate is 57.6%.
Who are the Administrative Law Judges at Kansas City?
How long do disability cases take at Kansas City?
From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 17 months. Note that wait times are point-in-time estimates from SSA reporting and may vary from month to month based on case volume and staffing changes.
How is office data calculated?
What percentage of approvals at Kansas City are fully favorable?
How does Kansas City rank among other hearing offices in the state?
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