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Pennsylvania ALJ Statistics

Social Security Disability hearing statistics for 8 hearing offices and 57 administrative law judges in Pennsylvania.

State Approval Rate

54.6%

vs 58.3% national

Hearing Offices

8

in Pennsylvania

ALJs

57

active judges

Avg Wait Time

8.2 months

vs 8 months national

Hearing Offices in Pennsylvania

Office ALJs Approval Rate Wait Time Processing Pending
Elkins Park 11 59.7% 7 months 278 days 3,033
Harrisburg 7 43% 9.5 months 310 days 1,389
Johnstown 4 55.3% 8.5 months 291 days 962
Philadelphia 7 55.5% 8.5 months 306 days 1,669
Philadelphia East 4 56.9% 8 months 291 days 1,108
Pittsburgh 7 48% 8 months 315 days 2,157
Seven Fields 7 70.8% 7 months 241 days 1,784
Wilkes Barre 10 45.9% 8 months 315 days 2,794

About Pennsylvania Disability Hearings

Social Security disability hearings in Pennsylvania are conducted across 8 hearing offices in SSA Region 03. A total of 57 Administrative Law Judges are currently assigned to hear cases in the state.

The average approval rate across Pennsylvania hearing offices is 54.6%, 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 43% at the Harrisburg hearing office to 70.8% at the Seven Fields hearing office, a 28-point difference.

Wait times across Pennsylvania offices range from 7 months at the Seven Fields hearing office to 9.5 months at the Harrisburg hearing office.

Across all offices, there are 14,896 cases currently pending in Pennsylvania, averaging approximately 261 pending cases per judge. Click on any hearing office below to see detailed judge-level statistics and individual approval rates.

Pennsylvania Hearing Landscape

With 8 hearing offices spread across the state, Pennsylvania'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 8 hearing offices, Pennsylvania provides multiple venues for disability hearings. Office sizes vary from 4 judges at the Philadelphia East hearing office to 11 judges at the Elkins Park 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 Pennsylvania, 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.

Pennsylvania Disability Hearing FAQ

What are my chances of approval in Pennsylvania?
The average ALJ approval rate in Pennsylvania is 54.6% for FY 2025. This includes both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions. The national average is 58.3%, putting Pennsylvania below the national benchmark. Office-level rates within the state range from 43% to 70.8%.
Which cities in Pennsylvania have SSA hearing offices?
Pennsylvania has 8 SSA hearing offices with a total of 57 administrative law judges. The largest office is the Elkins Park hearing office with 11 judges, while the Philadelphia East hearing office has 4. Hearing location is determined by the claimant's home address. Within each office, judges are assigned cases through a rotational scheduling system.
What is the fastest hearing office in Pennsylvania?
The Seven Fields hearing office currently has the shortest wait time at 7 months. The longest wait is at the Harrisburg hearing office at 9.5 months, a gap of 2.5 months. These wait time figures represent the latest available snapshot and may fluctuate as hearing volumes and judge availability change over time.
How is state data calculated?
Pennsylvania has 8 offices serving 57 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. All statistics are drawn from publicly available SSA disposition data, updated periodically as new fiscal year reports become available.
Where does Pennsylvania rank in disability hearing outcomes?
Pennsylvania is in SSA Region 03. Its average approval rate of 54.6% 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 Pennsylvania?
Hearing outcomes in Pennsylvania 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 57 active judges across 8 offices, outcomes in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania?
The SSA assigns cases to offices according to claimant geography, and judges receive cases through rotation rather than selection. 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. Pennsylvania has 8 hearing offices, each serving a defined geographic area within the state.

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