Pasadena Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times

The Pasadena hearing office is part of the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearings Operations in California. This office is in SSA Region 09 and currently has 5 administrative law judges who hear disability appeals.

The office's average approval rate is 66.9%, which is above the national average of 57.6%. This higher-than-average rate reflects the combined decision patterns of all judges at this office. Judge approval rates at this office range from 53.9% to 74.9%, showing a moderate degree of variation 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 268 days. There are currently 1,068 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 214 pending cases per judge.

Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 58.5%. 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.

Pasadena shows a moderate degree of variation across its bench, which is common among offices of this size. While all judges apply the same federal disability standards, differences in how they weigh medical evidence, vocational factors, and hearing testimony may contribute to varying outcomes.

With an average wait time of 9 months and 268 days average processing time, claimants at Pasadena can expect a total timeline of roughly 18 months from hearing request to decision.

Judges at Pasadena have collectively issued 1,712 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 342 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 219 to 482 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.