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Tennessee ALJ Statistics

Social Security Disability hearing statistics for 6 hearing offices and 49 administrative law judges in Tennessee.

State Approval Rate

57.3%

vs 58.3% national

Hearing Offices

6

in Tennessee

ALJs

49

active judges

Avg Wait Time

6.7 months

vs 8 months national

Hearing Offices in Tennessee

Office ALJs Approval Rate Wait Time Processing Pending
Chattanooga 9 67.6% 7 months 255 days 1,383
Franklin TN 11 53.6% 6 months 207 days 1,536
Kingsport 8 56.6% 6 months 218 days 1,383
Knoxville 8 55.4% 7 months 254 days 1,112
Memphis 7 54.9% 6 months 252 days 1,836
Nashville 6 60.2% 6 months 254 days 1,125

About Tennessee Disability Hearings

Social Security disability hearings in Tennessee are conducted across 6 hearing offices in SSA Region 04. A total of 49 Administrative Law Judges are currently assigned to hear cases in the state.

The average approval rate across Tennessee hearing offices is 57.3%, 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 53.6% at the Franklin TN hearing office to 67.6% at the Chattanooga hearing office, a 14-point difference.

Wait times across Tennessee offices range from 6 months at the Nashville hearing office to 7 months at the Knoxville hearing office.

Across all offices, there are 8,375 cases currently pending in Tennessee, averaging approximately 171 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 11 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 57.3% for FY 2025. This includes both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions. The national average is 58.3%, putting Tennessee below the national benchmark. Office-level rates within the state range from 53.6% to 67.6%.
Which cities in Tennessee have SSA hearing offices?
Tennessee has 6 SSA hearing offices with a total of 49 administrative law judges. The largest office is the Franklin TN hearing office with 11 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 Nashville hearing office currently has the shortest wait time at 6 months. The longest wait is at the Knoxville hearing office at 7 months, a gap of 1.0 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 49 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 57.3% 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 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 49 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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