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California ALJ Statistics

Social Security Disability hearing statistics for 17 hearing offices and 93 administrative law judges in California.

State Approval Rate

59.9%

vs 58.3% national

Hearing Offices

17

in California

ALJs

93

active judges

Avg Wait Time

8.5 months

vs 8 months national

Hearing Offices in California

Office ALJs Approval Rate Wait Time Processing Pending
Fresno 5 56% 14.5 months 481 days 1,827
Long Beach 5 57.7% 9 months 312 days 687
Los Angeles Downtown 4 58.3% 8.5 months 350 days 822
Los Angeles West 7 63.2% 10 months 330 days 1,237
Moreno Valley 7 53.2% 8 months 272 days 1,590
Norwalk 5 66.1% 7 months 247 days 805
Oakland 6 64.7% 9 months 321 days 1,087
Orange 6 64% 9 months 323 days 1,324
Pasadena 5 66.3% 7 months 274 days 1,176
Sacramento 9 68% 10 months 333 days 1,509
San Bernardino 7 60.7% 7 months 266 days 981
San Diego 8 57.3% 9 months 376 days 1,867
San Francisco 6 45.3% 8 months 309 days 965
San Jose 5 59.1% 10 months 357 days 755
San Rafael 3 60.5% 8 months 301 days 605
Santa Barbara 3 63.1% 13 months 510 days 664
Stockton 2 40.9% 8 months 274 days 746

About California Disability Hearings

Disability claimants in California have access to 17 SSA hearing offices as part of Region 09. The state's 93 Administrative Law Judges handle the disability hearing caseload across these locations.

The average approval rate across California hearing offices is 59.9%, which is close to the national average of 58.3%. This rate aggregates decisions from all judges across the state's hearing offices. Within the state, office-level approval rates range from 40.9% at the Stockton hearing office to 68% at the Sacramento hearing office, a 27-point difference.

Wait times across California offices range from 7 months at the San Bernardino hearing office to 14.5 months at the Fresno hearing office. This 7.5-month gap between the fastest and slowest offices reflects differences in caseload volume, staffing levels, and scheduling capacity.

Across all offices, there are 18,647 cases currently pending in California, averaging approximately 201 pending cases per judge. Click on any hearing office below to see detailed judge-level statistics and individual approval rates.

California Hearing Landscape

With 17 hearing offices spread across the state, California's disability hearing landscape offers multiple points of comparison for attorneys and claimants. Case assignment is determined by residential address, so the specific office — and the judges at that office — depends on where the claimant lives. All statistics on this page are weighted by individual judge caseloads to accurately reflect the volume of cases processed.

With 17 hearing offices, California provides multiple venues for disability hearings. Office sizes vary from 2 judges at the Stockton hearing office to 9 judges at the Sacramento hearing office. Cases are assigned to offices based on the claimant's residential address, so hearing location is determined by geography rather than preference.

For attorneys practicing disability law in California, understanding the local hearing landscape is an important part of case preparation. The data on this page provides a starting point for evaluating office-level patterns, though individual judge statistics offer more granular insight into decision-making tendencies. Visit individual office pages for judge-level data.

California Disability Hearing FAQ

What is the disability approval rate in California?
The average ALJ approval rate in California is 59.9% for FY 2025. This includes both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions. The national average is 58.3%, putting California above the national benchmark. Office-level rates within the state range from 40.9% to 68%.
How many Social Security hearing offices are in California?
California has 17 SSA hearing offices with a total of 93 administrative law judges. The largest office is the Sacramento hearing office with 9 judges, while the Stockton hearing office has 2. Your hearing office is determined by where you live, and the specific judge is assigned through the office's rotational calendar — neither is chosen by the claimant.
Which hearing office in California has the shortest wait time?
The San Bernardino hearing office currently has the shortest wait time at 7 months. The longest wait is at the Fresno hearing office at 14.5 months, a gap of 7.5 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.
How is state data calculated?
California has 17 offices serving 93 judges across the state. State averages are calculated by aggregating data from all hearing offices within the state. See our methodology page for details on data sources and calculations. These figures rely on SSA's publicly released disposition records, which are processed and incorporated into our database as each reporting cycle concludes.
How does California compare to other states?
California is in SSA Region 09. Its average approval rate of 59.9% is above the national average of 58.3%. For a full comparison of approval rates and wait times across all states, visit the states overview page.
What factors influence hearing outcomes in California?
Hearing outcomes in California are influenced by several factors including the strength and completeness of medical evidence, vocational factors such as the claimant's age, education, and work history, the quality of legal representation at the hearing, and individual judge decision-making patterns. With 93 active judges across 17 offices, outcomes in California reflect a broad range of judicial decision-making patterns.

While all ALJs apply the same federal disability standards, these case-level factors can lead to variation in outcomes across offices and judges.
Can I transfer my hearing to a different office in California?
Hearing location is determined by the claimant's home address. Within each office, judges are assigned cases through a rotational scheduling system. While transfers between offices are generally not possible based on preference, a change of address that moves you into a different office's service area may result in case reassignment. California has 17 hearing offices, each serving a defined geographic area within the state.

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