Official SSA Data

San Antonio Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times

Texas · SSA Region 06

Approval Rate

50.9%

vs 57.6% national

Wait Time

8 months

vs 8.4 months national

Processing Time

258 days

avg days to decision

Cases Pending

6,798

awaiting hearing

ALJs

22

active judges

San Antonio 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
Trevor Skarda 100% N/A N/A 1 1
Michelle Thompson 100% N/A N/A 2 2
Peter Gazda 87.2% 12.8% 77.2% 413 516
Timothy Suing 80% 20% 53.3% 15 16
Alexis Murdock 77.6% 22.4% 72.3% 343 429
Dwight Wilkerson 63.9% 36.1% 59.3% 324 396
Mark Mendola 58.3% 41.7% 50% 12 14
Bernard J. McKay 56.1% 43.9% 41.2% 483 578
Robert McPhail 53.4% 46.6% 45.3% 384 466
Katherine Brown 52.4% 47.6% 41.3% 332 391
David R. Wurm 52% 48% 37.1% 477 558
Matthew Allen 50.6% 49.4% 38.4% 510 604
Melinda Kirkpatrick 50.3% 49.7% 38.6% 485 573
Lissette C. Perez 49.7% 50.3% 40.5% 304 401
Penny Wilkov 48.2% 51.8% 35.3% 425 495
Ben Barnett 47.4% 52.6% 32.7% 401 490
Janice L. Holmes 47.1% 52.9% 38% 361 437
Charles Brower 43.1% 56.9% 38.4% 445 549
Marc Jones 33.8% 66.2% 26.8% 71 86
Yasmin Elias 33.3% 66.7% 33.3% 9 11
Mark Swayze 32.2% 67.8% 26.6% 379 470
Gordan Momcilovic 15.7% 84.3% 13.5% 459 555

Former Judges at San Antonio

This judge has no recorded decisions at San Antonio in the 12 months ending July 2026. Figures below cover each judge's own last twelve reported months, ending in the month shown.

Judge Last Decisions Reported Approval Rate Total Decisions
Ilene B Kramer May 2025 63% 303

Approval rates here cover each judge's own trailing window ending in the month shown, so they are not directly comparable with the current roster above or with national figures.

About the San Antonio Social Security Hearing Office

San Antonio is a Social Security disability hearing office serving claimants in Texas. Operating within SSA Region 06, the office has 22 ALJs who preside over disability appeals. With 22 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 50.9%, which is below the national average of 57.6%. A lower aggregate rate does not necessarily indicate stricter standards — it may reflect differences in case demographics, representation quality, or the types of conditions presented at hearings. Individual judge approval rates at this office range from 15.7% to 100%, a 84-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 8.4 months. Once a hearing takes place, this office issues decisions in an average of 258 days. There are currently 6,798 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 309 pending cases per judge.

Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 38.1%. 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 San Antonio Hearing Office Data

Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at San Antonio, 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 258 days average processing time, claimants at San Antonio can expect a total timeline of roughly 17 months from hearing request to decision.

Judges at San Antonio have collectively issued 6,635 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 302 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 1 to 510 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.

San Antonio Hearing Office FAQ

How often are disability cases approved at San Antonio?
The average ALJ approval rate at San Antonio is 50.9% for the 12 months ending July 2026. This rate combines both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions.

Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 15.7% to 100%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 38.1%. The national average approval rate is 57.6%.
How many ALJs work at San Antonio?
The San Antonio office has 22 administrative law judges. Of these, 17 have issued 50 or more decisions in the 12 months ending July 2026. Decision counts range from 1 to 510 in the 12 months ending July 2026. See the judges table above for individual statistics.
What is the average case processing time at San Antonio?
The current average wait time at San Antonio is 8 months. This is shorter than the national average of 8.4 months. After the hearing, decisions are issued in an average of 258 days.

From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 17 months. These wait time figures represent the latest available snapshot and may fluctuate as hearing volumes and judge availability change over time.
How is office data calculated?
With 22 judges handling cases, this is one of the larger hearing offices. Office statistics are calculated by aggregating individual judge decision data. See our methodology page for details on data sources and calculations. All statistics are drawn from publicly available SSA disposition data, updated periodically as new fiscal year reports become available.
How often do judges at San Antonio issue fully favorable decisions?
When a judge issues a fully favorable ruling, benefits begin from the claimant's requested onset date. A partially favorable ruling still awards benefits but may adjust the onset to a later date, which affects retroactive payments. The approval rate combines both outcome types. At San Antonio, the average fully favorable rate across judges is 38.1%.
Is San Antonio's approval rate higher or lower than nearby offices?
Of the 7 hearing offices in Texas, San Antonio has the lowest approval rate at 50.9%. In terms of wait time, San Antonio ranks 2 of 7 (8 months). Visit the Texas overview page for a full comparison of all offices in the state.

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