Special Review Cadre Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
District Of Columbia · SSA Region 12
Approval Rate
66.6%
vs 58.3% national
Wait Time
16 months
vs 8 months national
Processing Time
458 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
6,080
awaiting hearing
ALJs
16
active judges
Special Review Cadre 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael A Cabotaje | 100% | N/A | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| Nicholas M Ohanesian | 100% | N/A | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| Jennifer Smiley | 75% | 25% | 49.3% | 292 | 425 |
| Ena Weathers | 75% | 25% | 52.5% | 200 | 335 |
| Mark Hockensmith | 73.7% | 26.3% | 58% | 255 | 387 |
| Melissa Warner | 71.8% | 28.2% | 49% | 245 | 367 |
| Nicholas Walter | 71.2% | 28.8% | 54.1% | 222 | 360 |
| Randolph W Alden | 65% | 35% | 50% | 220 | 380 |
| Robert J Labrum | 63.8% | 36.2% | 45.1% | 246 | 413 |
| Sandra R Dimaggio Wallis | 63.1% | 36.9% | 46.6% | 206 | 363 |
| Kelley Day | 57.7% | 42.3% | 35.9% | 234 | 365 |
| Kim Soo Nagle | 57.4% | 42.6% | 34% | 141 | 313 |
| Kathleen H Eiler | 51.7% | 48.3% | 31.9% | 207 | 362 |
| April M Wexler | 51% | 49% | 49% | 49 | 96 |
| Maryann Lunderman | 49.4% | 50.6% | 37.7% | 77 | 98 |
| Roxanne Fuller | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1 |
About the Special Review Cadre Social Security Hearing Office
Claimants in the Special Review Cadre service area have their Social Security disability appeals heard at this office, one of the hearing locations in District Of Columbia. The office is assigned to SSA Region 12 and has 16 active ALJs. With 16 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 66.6%, which is above the national average of 58.3%. This rate emerges from the aggregate of individual judge decisions and should be understood in the context of local case demographics and representation patterns. Individual judge approval rates at this office range from 49.4% to 100%, a 51-point spread that reflects significant variation in decision patterns among judges.
The current average wait time for a hearing at this office is 16 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 458 days. There are currently 6,080 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 380 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 52.9%. 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 Special Review Cadre Hearing Office Data
Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Special Review Cadre, 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 16 months and 458 days average processing time, claimants at Special Review Cadre can expect a total timeline of roughly 31 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 Special Review Cadre have collectively issued 2,596 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 162 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 1 to 292 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Special Review Cadre Hearing Office FAQ
How often are disability cases approved at Special Review Cadre?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 49.4% to 100%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 52.9%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
How many ALJs work at Special Review Cadre?
What is the average case processing time at Special Review Cadre?
From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 31 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.