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Tennessee ALJ Statistics

Social Security Disability hearing statistics for 6 hearing offices and 48 administrative law judges in Tennessee.

State Approval Rate

57.7%

vs 57.6% national

Hearing Offices

6

in Tennessee

ALJs

48

active judges

Avg Wait Time

8.1 months

vs 8.4 months national

Hearing Offices in Tennessee

Office ALJs Approval Rate Wait Time Processing Pending
Chattanooga 9 65.9% 8 months 273 days 2,288
Franklin TN 10 55.9% 8 months 237 days 2,600
Kingsport 8 59.4% 7 months 232 days 2,143
Knoxville 8 49.8% 9 months 269 days 1,641
Memphis 7 55.1% 9 months 289 days 2,185
Nashville 6 57.2% 7.5 months 239 days 1,395

About Tennessee Disability Hearings

Social Security disability hearings in Tennessee are conducted across 6 hearing offices in SSA Region 04. A total of 48 Administrative Law Judges are currently assigned to hear cases in the state.

The average approval rate across Tennessee hearing offices is 57.7%, 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 49.8% at the Knoxville hearing office to 65.9% at the Chattanooga hearing office, a 16-point difference.

Wait times across Tennessee offices range from 7 months at the Kingsport hearing office to 9 months at the Memphis hearing office.

Across all offices, there are 12,252 cases currently pending in Tennessee, averaging approximately 255 pending cases per judge. Click on any hearing office below to see detailed judge-level statistics and individual approval rates.

Tennessee Hearing Landscape

With 6 hearing offices spread across the state, Tennessee'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, Tennessee provides multiple venues for disability hearings. Office sizes vary from 6 judges at the Nashville hearing office to 10 judges at the Franklin TN 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 Tennessee, 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.

Tennessee Disability Hearing FAQ

What are my chances of approval in Tennessee?
The average ALJ approval rate in Tennessee is 57.7% for the 12 months ending July 2026. This includes both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions. The national average is 57.6%, putting Tennessee above the national benchmark. Office-level rates within the state range from 49.8% to 65.9%.
Which cities in Tennessee have SSA hearing offices?
Tennessee has 6 SSA hearing offices with a total of 48 administrative law judges. The largest office is the Franklin TN hearing office with 10 judges, while the Nashville hearing office has 6. 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 Tennessee?
The Kingsport hearing office currently has the shortest wait time at 7 months. The longest wait is at the Memphis hearing office at 9 months, a gap of 2.0 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?
Tennessee has 6 offices serving 48 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 Tennessee rank in disability hearing outcomes?
Tennessee is in SSA Region 04. Its average approval rate of 57.7% is above 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 Tennessee?
Hearing outcomes in Tennessee 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 48 active judges across 6 offices, outcomes in Tennessee 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 Tennessee?
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. Tennessee has 6 hearing offices, each serving a defined geographic area within the state.

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