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Ohio ALJ Statistics

Social Security Disability hearing statistics for 6 hearing offices and 51 administrative law judges in Ohio.

State Approval Rate

56.1%

vs 58.3% national

Hearing Offices

6

in Ohio

ALJs

51

active judges

Avg Wait Time

7.4 months

vs 8 months national

Hearing Offices in Ohio

Office ALJs Approval Rate Wait Time Processing Pending
Akron OH 10 57.5% 7 months 245 days 1,952
Cincinnati 6 59% 7 months 256 days 1,820
Cleveland 11 50.8% 6 months 231 days 2,744
Columbus 12 54.8% 7 months 244 days 2,621
Dayton 5 66.2% 9 months 341 days 1,440
Toledo OH 7 55.5% 7 months 244 days 1,804

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 51 ALJs who decided cases in the current fiscal year.

The average approval rate across Ohio hearing offices is 56.1%, 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 50.8% at the Cleveland hearing office to 66.2% at the Dayton hearing office, a 15-point difference.

Wait times across Ohio offices range from 6 months at the Cleveland hearing office to 9 months at the Dayton hearing office.

Across all offices, there are 12,381 cases currently pending in Ohio, averaging approximately 243 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 5 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 56.1% for FY 2025. This includes both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions. The national average is 58.3%, putting Ohio below the national benchmark. Office-level rates within the state range from 50.8% to 66.2%.
Which cities in Ohio have SSA hearing offices?
Ohio has 6 SSA hearing offices with a total of 51 administrative law judges. The largest office is the Columbus hearing office with 12 judges, while the Dayton hearing office has 5. 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 Cleveland hearing office currently has the shortest wait time at 6 months. The longest wait is at the Dayton hearing office at 9 months, a gap of 3.0 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 51 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 56.1% is below 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 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 51 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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