Milwaukee Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
Wisconsin · SSA Region 05
Approval Rate
52.1%
vs 57.6% national
Wait Time
8 months
vs 8.4 months national
Processing Time
261 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
2,584
awaiting hearing
ALJs
7
active judges
Milwaukee 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret J O'grady | 58% | 42% | 46.2% | 364 | 424 |
| William Shenkenberg | 57.6% | 42.4% | 53.7% | 382 | 446 |
| Nicholas J. Schwalbach | 53.8% | 46.2% | 48.8% | 465 | 546 |
| Brent C Bedwell | 52.7% | 47.3% | 48.2% | 423 | 494 |
| Dean Syrjanen | 45.4% | 54.6% | 34.8% | 227 | 271 |
| Julie Sammer | 44.1% | 55.9% | 38.7% | 238 | 274 |
| Arman Rouf | 43.5% | 56.5% | 25.8% | 423 | 485 |
About the Milwaukee Social Security Hearing Office
Claimants in the Milwaukee service area have their Social Security disability appeals heard at this office, one of the hearing locations in Wisconsin. The office is assigned to SSA Region 05 and has 7 active ALJs.
The office's average approval rate is 52.1%, which is below the national average of 57.6%. This rate is shaped by the interplay of case characteristics, local representation patterns, and individual judge decision tendencies. Judge approval rates at this office range from 43.5% to 58%, indicating relatively consistent decision patterns across the bench.
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 261 days. There are currently 2,584 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 369 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 42.3%. 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 Milwaukee Hearing Office Data
The relatively consistent decision patterns across judges at Milwaukee can give claimants and their representatives a clearer sense of what to expect. This consistency suggests that case-level factors — strength of medical evidence, quality of representation, and vocational circumstances — are likely the primary drivers of outcomes at this office.
With an average wait time of 8 months and 261 days average processing time, claimants at Milwaukee can expect a total timeline of roughly 17 months from hearing request to decision.
Judges at Milwaukee have collectively issued 2,522 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 360 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 227 to 465 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Milwaukee Hearing Office FAQ
How often are disability cases approved at Milwaukee?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 43.5% to 58%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 42.3%. The national average approval rate is 57.6%.
How many ALJs work at Milwaukee?
What is the average case processing time at Milwaukee?
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?
How often do judges at Milwaukee issue fully favorable decisions?
Is Milwaukee's approval rate higher or lower than nearby offices?
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