Norfolk Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
Virginia · SSA Region 03
Approval Rate
52.5%
vs 57.6% national
Wait Time
9 months
vs 8.4 months national
Processing Time
283 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
2,445
awaiting hearing
ALJs
7
active judges
Norfolk 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Galloway | 62.9% | 37.1% | 49.2% | 197 | 228 |
| Monica Flynn | 61.9% | 38.1% | 55.3% | 215 | 275 |
| William Pflugrath | 59.2% | 40.8% | 51.5% | 272 | 341 |
| Maryann Bright | 51.4% | 48.6% | 34% | 397 | 456 |
| Chad Gendreau | 50.6% | 49.4% | 42% | 431 | 525 |
| Jeffrey Jordan | 49.7% | 50.3% | 32.6% | 386 | 469 |
| Carol Matula | 48.6% | 51.4% | 38.4% | 385 | 461 |
About the Norfolk Social Security Hearing Office
The Norfolk hearing office is part of the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearings Operations in Virginia. This office is in SSA Region 03 and currently has 7 administrative law judges who hear disability appeals.
The office's average approval rate is 52.5%, which is below the national average of 57.6%. Approval rates are influenced by many factors including case mix, quality of representation, and individual judge decision-making patterns. Judge approval rates at this office range from 48.6% to 62.9%, indicating relatively consistent decision patterns across the bench.
The current average wait time for a hearing at this office is 9 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 283 days. There are currently 2,445 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 349 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 43.3%. 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 Norfolk Hearing Office Data
The relatively consistent decision patterns across judges at Norfolk 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 9 months and 283 days average processing time, claimants at Norfolk can expect a total timeline of roughly 18 months from hearing request to decision.
Judges at Norfolk have collectively issued 2,283 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 326 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 197 to 431 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Norfolk Hearing Office FAQ
What are my chances of approval at Norfolk?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 48.6% to 62.9%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 43.3%. The national average approval rate is 57.6%.
Who are the Administrative Law Judges at Norfolk?
How long do disability cases take at Norfolk?
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.
How is office data calculated?
What percentage of approvals at Norfolk are fully favorable?
How does Norfolk rank among other hearing offices in the state?
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