Spokane Hearing Office - ALJ Approval Rates & Wait Times
Washington · SSA Region 10
Approval Rate
72%
vs 58.3% national
Wait Time
10 months
vs 8 months national
Processing Time
325 days
avg days to decision
Cases Pending
1,569
awaiting hearing
ALJs
7
active judges
Spokane 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian J Henry | 100% | N/A | 100% | 5 | 5 |
| Donna L Walker | 92.3% | 7.7% | 89.6% | 336 | 416 |
| Lori L Freund | 79.1% | 20.9% | 77.6% | 134 | 178 |
| Caroline Siderius | 77.5% | 22.5% | 74.6% | 71 | 94 |
| Stewart Stallings | 74.2% | 25.8% | 68.1% | 360 | 433 |
| Jesse K Shumway | 54.3% | 45.7% | 49.7% | 300 | 410 |
| Marie Palachuk | 50.3% | 49.7% | 42.6% | 169 | 208 |
About the Spokane Social Security Hearing Office
The Spokane hearing office is part of the Social Security Administration's Office of Hearings Operations in Washington. This office is in SSA Region 10 and currently has 7 administrative law judges who hear disability appeals.
The office's average approval rate is 72%, which is above the national average of 58.3%. This higher-than-average rate reflects the combined decision patterns of all judges at this office. Individual judge approval rates at this office range from 50.3% to 100%, a 50-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 325 days. There are currently 1,569 cases pending at this office. That works out to approximately 224 pending cases per judge.
Across the judges at this office, the average fully favorable rate is 71.7%. 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 Spokane Hearing Office Data
Given the significant variation in decision patterns among judges at Spokane, 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 325 days average processing time, claimants at Spokane 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 Spokane have collectively issued 1,375 decisions in the current fiscal year, averaging 196 decisions per judge. Individual caseloads range from 5 to 360 decisions, reflecting differences in hearing schedules and case complexity.
Spokane Hearing Office FAQ
How often are disability cases approved at Spokane?
Individual judges at this office have rates ranging from 50.3% to 100%. Of approved cases, the average fully favorable rate across judges at this office is 71.7%. The national average approval rate is 58.3%.
How many ALJs work at Spokane?
What is the average case processing time at Spokane?
From hearing request to decision, the total timeline at this office averages approximately 21 months. Wait times are snapshots from the most recent SSA data release and can shift as caseloads, staffing, and scheduling capacity change.