Sacramento Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
California · SSA Region 09
Approval Rate
68%
vs 58.3% national
Wait Time
10 months
vs 8 months national
Processing Time
333 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
1,509
awaiting hearing
ALJs
7
active judges
Sacramento 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plauche F Villere JR. | 80% | 20% | 71.9% | 431 | 498 |
| David M Blume | 70.3% | 29.7% | 63.5% | 417 | 492 |
| Lisa B Martin | 63.5% | 36.5% | 53.5% | 340 | 409 |
| Christopher C Knowdell | 57.3% | 42.7% | 49% | 349 | 440 |
| Sara A Gillis | 54% | 46% | 42.1% | 413 | 475 |
| Odell Grooms | N/A | 100% | N/A | 1 | 1 |
| Trevor Skarda | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 |
About the Sacramento Social Security Hearing Office
The Social Security Administration operates the Sacramento hearing office in California as part of its Office of Hearings Operations. Located in SSA Region 09, 7 Administrative Law Judges conduct disability hearings at this location.
The office's average approval rate is 68%, which is above the national average of 58.3%. While above the national benchmark, this figure aggregates decisions across all judges and encompasses both fully and partially favorable outcomes. Individual judge approval rates at this office range from 0% to 80%, a 80-point spread that reflects significant variation in decision patterns among judges.
The current average wait time for a hearing at this office is 10 months, which is longer than the national average of 8 months. Longer wait times can reflect higher caseload volume relative to available judges. Once a hearing takes place, this office issues decisions in an average of 333 days. There are currently 1,509 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 216 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 46.7%. 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 Sacramento Hearing Office Data
Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Sacramento, 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 10 months and 333 days average processing time, claimants at Sacramento can expect a total timeline of roughly 21 months from hearing request to decision. This longer-than-average wait underscores the importance of having complete medical evidence ready well before the hearing date.
Judges at Sacramento have collectively issued 1,951 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 279 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 1 to 431 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Sacramento Hearing Office FAQ
How often are disability cases approved at Sacramento?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 0% to 80%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 46.7%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
How many ALJs work at Sacramento?
What is the average case processing time at Sacramento?
From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 21 months. Wait time averages reflect the most recently reported SSA data and will evolve as new disposition reports are released.