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Ohio ALJ Statistics

Social Security Disability hearing statistics for 6 hearing offices and 52 administrative law judges in Ohio.

State Approval Rate

55.6%

vs 57.6% national

Hearing Offices

6

in Ohio

ALJs

52

active judges

Avg Wait Time

7.6 months

vs 8.4 months national

Hearing Offices in Ohio

Office ALJs Approval Rate Wait Time Processing Pending
Akron OH 11 56.4% 7.5 months 236 days 2,393
Cincinnati 6 56.1% 7 months 243 days 1,913
Cleveland 11 48.8% 7 months 241 days 3,163
Columbus 12 58.6% 8 months 262 days 2,049
Dayton 4 71.1% 9 months 286 days 1,684
Toledo OH 8 54.1% 7 months 248 days 2,093

About Ohio Disability Hearings

Ohio has 6 Social Security hearing offices where Administrative Law Judges hear disability appeals. These offices are part of SSA Region 05 and collectively employ 52 ALJs who decided cases in the current fiscal year.

The average approval rate across Ohio hearing offices is 55.6%, which is close to the national average of 57.6%. This rate aggregates decisions from all judges across the state's hearing offices. Within the state, office-level approval rates range from 48.8% at the Cleveland hearing office to 71.1% at the Dayton hearing office, a 22-point difference.

Wait times across Ohio offices range from 7 months at the Toledo OH hearing office to 9 months at the Dayton hearing office.

Across all offices, there are 13,295 cases currently pending in Ohio, averaging approximately 256 pending cases per judge. Click on any hearing office below to see detailed judge-level statistics and individual approval rates.

Ohio Hearing Landscape

With 6 hearing offices spread across the state, Ohio'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 6 hearing offices, Ohio provides multiple venues for disability hearings. Office sizes vary from 4 judges at the Dayton hearing office to 12 judges at the Columbus 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 Ohio, 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.

Ohio Disability Hearing FAQ

What are my chances of approval in Ohio?
The average ALJ approval rate in Ohio is 55.6% for the 12 months ending July 2026. This includes both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions. The national average is 57.6%, putting Ohio below the national benchmark. Office-level rates within the state range from 48.8% to 71.1%.
Which cities in Ohio have SSA hearing offices?
Ohio has 6 SSA hearing offices with a total of 52 administrative law judges. The largest office is the Columbus hearing office with 12 judges, while the Dayton hearing office has 4. Cases are assigned to hearing offices based on the claimant's residential address, and judge assignments within an office are typically made on a rotational basis.
What is the fastest hearing office in Ohio?
The Toledo OH hearing office currently has the shortest wait time at 7 months. The longest wait is at the Dayton hearing office at 9 months, a gap of 2.0 months. Wait times are snapshots from the most recent SSA data release and can shift as caseloads, staffing, and scheduling capacity change.
How is state data calculated?
Ohio has 6 offices serving 52 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. Data originates from SSA public use files and is refreshed as new reports are published throughout the fiscal year.
Where does Ohio rank in disability hearing outcomes?
Ohio is in SSA Region 05. Its average approval rate of 55.6% is below the national average of 57.6%. For a full comparison of approval rates and wait times across all states, visit the states overview page.
What affects disability hearing results in Ohio?
Hearing outcomes in Ohio 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 52 active judges across 6 offices, outcomes in Ohio 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 request a different hearing location in Ohio?
Cases are assigned to hearing offices based on the claimant's residential address, and judge assignments within an office are typically made on a rotational basis. 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. Ohio has 6 hearing offices, each serving a defined geographic area within the state.

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