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South Carolina ALJ Statistics

Social Security Disability hearing statistics for 4 hearing offices and 34 administrative law judges in South Carolina.

State Approval Rate

58.1%

vs 58.3% national

Hearing Offices

4

in South Carolina

ALJs

34

active judges

Avg Wait Time

6.8 months

vs 8 months national

Hearing Offices in South Carolina

Office ALJs Approval Rate Wait Time Processing Pending
Charleston SC 6 54.2% 7 months 260 days 1,127
Columbia SC 11 61% 7 months 265 days 1,484
Florence 8 49.9% 6 months 198 days 989
Greenville 9 64.7% 7 months 225 days 1,407

About South Carolina Disability Hearings

Disability claimants in South Carolina have access to 4 SSA hearing offices as part of Region 04. The state's 34 Administrative Law Judges handle the disability hearing caseload across these locations.

The average approval rate across South Carolina hearing offices is 58.1%, 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 49.9% at the Florence hearing office to 64.7% at the Greenville hearing office, a 15-point difference.

Wait times across South Carolina offices range from 6 months at the Florence hearing office to 7 months at the Greenville hearing office.

Across all offices, there are 5,007 cases currently pending in South Carolina, averaging approximately 147 pending cases per judge. Click on any hearing office below to see detailed judge-level statistics and individual approval rates.

South Carolina Hearing Landscape

With 4 hearing offices spread across the state, South Carolina'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 4 hearing offices, South Carolina provides multiple venues for disability hearings. Office sizes vary from 6 judges at the Charleston SC hearing office to 11 judges at the Columbia SC 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 South Carolina, 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.

South Carolina Disability Hearing FAQ

How often are cases approved in South Carolina?
The average ALJ approval rate in South Carolina is 58.1% for FY 2025. This includes both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions. The national average is 58.3%, putting South Carolina below the national benchmark. Office-level rates within the state range from 49.9% to 64.7%.
Where are the disability hearing offices in South Carolina?
South Carolina has 4 SSA hearing offices with a total of 34 administrative law judges. The largest office is the Columbia SC hearing office with 11 judges, while the Charleston SC hearing office has 6. 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.
Where in South Carolina can I get a disability hearing fastest?
The Florence hearing office currently has the shortest wait time at 6 months. The longest wait is at the Greenville hearing office at 7 months, a gap of 1.0 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?
With 34 active judges, South Carolina processes a significant caseload. 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 do South Carolina's hearing statistics compare nationally?
South Carolina is in SSA Region 04. Its average approval rate of 58.1% 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.
Why do approval rates vary across offices in South Carolina?
Hearing outcomes in South Carolina 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 34 active judges across 4 offices, outcomes in South Carolina 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.
Is it possible to change hearing offices within South Carolina?
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. 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. South Carolina has 4 hearing offices, each serving a defined geographic area within the state.

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