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Virginia ALJ Statistics

Social Security Disability hearing statistics for 6 hearing offices and 33 administrative law judges in Virginia.

State Approval Rate

50.3%

vs 58.3% national

Hearing Offices

6

in Virginia

ALJs

33

active judges

Avg Wait Time

9 months

vs 8 months national

Hearing Offices in Virginia

Office ALJs Approval Rate Wait Time Processing Pending
Charlottesville 4 43.7% 7 months 242 days 968
Nhc Falls Church 12 52.6% 9 months 350 days 833
Norfolk 6 50.7% 10 months 364 days 1,711
Nsd Falls Church 0 N/A N/A N/A 10
Richmond 7 46.8% 9 months 283 days 1,304
Roanoke 4 58.9% 8.5 months 273 days 1,163

About Virginia Disability Hearings

Virginia has 6 Social Security hearing offices where Administrative Law Judges hear disability appeals. These offices are part of SSA Region 03 and collectively employ 33 ALJs who decided cases in the current fiscal year.

The average approval rate across Virginia hearing offices is 50.3%, which is below the national average of 58.3%. State-level rates are influenced by case demographics, quality of representation, claimant populations, and individual judge decision patterns. Within the state, office-level approval rates range from 43.7% at the Charlottesville hearing office to 58.9% at the Roanoke hearing office, a 15-point difference.

Wait times across Virginia offices range from 7 months at the Charlottesville hearing office to 10 months at the Norfolk hearing office.

Across all offices, there are 5,989 cases currently pending in Virginia, averaging approximately 181 pending cases per judge. Click on any hearing office below to see detailed judge-level statistics and individual approval rates.

Virginia Hearing Landscape

With 6 hearing offices spread across the state, Virginia'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, Virginia provides multiple venues for disability hearings. Office sizes vary from 0 judges at the Nsd Falls Church hearing office to 12 judges at the Nhc Falls Church 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 Virginia, 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.

Virginia Disability Hearing FAQ

What are my chances of approval in Virginia?
The average ALJ approval rate in Virginia is 50.3% for FY 2025. This includes both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions. The national average is 58.3%, putting Virginia below the national benchmark. Office-level rates within the state range from 43.7% to 58.9%.
Which cities in Virginia have SSA hearing offices?
Virginia has 6 SSA hearing offices with a total of 33 administrative law judges. The largest office is the Nhc Falls Church hearing office with 12 judges, while the Nsd Falls Church hearing office has 0. 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 Virginia?
The Charlottesville hearing office currently has the shortest wait time at 7 months. The longest wait is at the Norfolk hearing office at 10 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?
Virginia has 6 offices serving 33 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 Virginia rank in disability hearing outcomes?
Virginia is in SSA Region 03. Its average approval rate of 50.3% 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 Virginia?
Hearing outcomes in Virginia 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.

Virginia's below-average approval rate of 50.3% may reflect regional factors including case demographics and the mix of conditions presented at hearings. With 33 active judges across 6 offices, outcomes in Virginia 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 Virginia?
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. Virginia has 6 hearing offices, each serving a defined geographic area within the state.

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