Little Rock Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
Arkansas · SSA Region 06
Approval Rate
40.4%
vs 58.3% national
Wait Time
8 months
vs 8 months national
Processing Time
288 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
2,683
awaiting hearing
ALJs
12
active judges
Little Rock 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John H Goree | 63.3% | 36.7% | 61.5% | 403 | 486 |
| Mark Ferguson | 54.8% | 45.2% | 48% | 456 | 536 |
| Dennis Hansen | 45.6% | 54.4% | 42.9% | 287 | 326 |
| Eliaser Chaparro | 44.8% | 55.2% | 43.4% | 212 | 249 |
| Paul Wood | 36.6% | 63.4% | 29.1% | 453 | 561 |
| Jim Fraiser | 33.3% | 66.7% | 33.3% | 3 | 3 |
| Kevin T Alexander | 32.1% | 67.9% | 28.6% | 336 | 421 |
| Mark Schafer | 31.7% | 68.3% | 22.4% | 379 | 474 |
| Thomas Cheffins | 30.3% | 69.7% | 17.5% | 435 | 535 |
| Bradley L Davis | 28.2% | 71.8% | 21.1% | 383 | 470 |
| David Foley | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 2 |
| David R Wurm | N/A | 100% | N/A | 4 | 4 |
About the Little Rock Social Security Hearing Office
The Little Rock hearing office is part of the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearings Operations in Arkansas. This office is in SSA Region 06 and currently has 12 administrative law judges who hear disability appeals. With 12 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 40.4%, 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 0% to 63.3%, a 63-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 months. Once a hearing takes place, this office issues decisions in an average of 288 days. There are currently 2,683 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 224 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 31.6%. 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 Little Rock Hearing Office Data
Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Little Rock, 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 288 days average processing time, claimants at Little Rock can expect a total timeline of roughly 18 months from hearing request to decision.
Judges at Little Rock have collectively issued 3,351 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 279 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 3 to 456 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Little Rock Hearing Office FAQ
How often are disability cases approved at Little Rock?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 0% to 63.3%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 31.6%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
How many ALJs work at Little Rock?
What is the average case processing time at Little Rock?
From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 18 months. Wait times are snapshots from the most recent SSA data release and can shift as caseloads, staffing, and scheduling capacity change.