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West Virginia ALJ Statistics

Social Security Disability hearing statistics for 3 hearing offices and 17 administrative law judges in West Virginia.

State Approval Rate

55.9%

vs 58.3% national

Hearing Offices

3

in West Virginia

ALJs

17

active judges

Avg Wait Time

7.4 months

vs 8 months national

Hearing Offices in West Virginia

Office ALJs Approval Rate Wait Time Processing Pending
Charleston WV 6 59.7% 7.5 months 258 days 1,463
Huntington WV 5 49% 9 months 308 days 1,314
Morgantown 6 60% 9 months 279 days 1,270

About West Virginia Disability Hearings

Disability claimants in West Virginia have access to 3 SSA hearing offices as part of Region 03. The state's 17 Administrative Law Judges handle the disability hearing caseload across these locations.

The average approval rate across West Virginia hearing offices is 55.9%, 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% at the Huntington WV hearing office to 60% at the Morgantown hearing office, a 11-point difference.

Wait times across West Virginia offices range from 7.5 months at the Charleston WV hearing office to 9 months at the Morgantown hearing office.

Across all offices, there are 4,047 cases currently pending in West Virginia, averaging approximately 238 pending cases per judge. Click on any hearing office below to see detailed judge-level statistics and individual approval rates.

West Virginia Hearing Landscape

West Virginia's 3 hearing offices each serve different geographic areas of the state. Case assignment is based on the claimant's residential address, so hearing location and judge assignment depend on where the claimant lives rather than personal preference. All statistics on this page are weighted by individual judge caseloads to accurately reflect the volume of cases processed.

With 3 hearing offices, West Virginia provides multiple venues for disability hearings. Office sizes vary from 5 judges at the Huntington WV hearing office to 6 judges at the Morgantown 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 West 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.

West Virginia Disability Hearing FAQ

What are my chances of approval in West Virginia?
The average ALJ approval rate in West Virginia is 55.9% for FY 2025. This includes both fully favorable and partially favorable decisions. The national average is 58.3%, putting West Virginia below the national benchmark. Office-level rates within the state range from 49% to 60%.
Which cities in West Virginia have SSA hearing offices?
West Virginia has 3 SSA hearing offices with a total of 17 administrative law judges. The largest office is the Morgantown hearing office with 6 judges, while the Huntington WV hearing office has 5. 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.
What is the fastest hearing office in West Virginia?
The Charleston WV hearing office currently has the shortest wait time at 7.5 months. The longest wait is at the Morgantown hearing office at 9 months, a gap of 1.5 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?
West Virginia's 3 offices handle cases for 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. These figures rely on SSA's publicly released disposition records, which are processed and incorporated into our database as each reporting cycle concludes.
Where does West Virginia rank in disability hearing outcomes?
West Virginia is in SSA Region 03. Its average approval rate of 55.9% 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 West Virginia?
Hearing outcomes in West 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.

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 West Virginia?
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. West Virginia has 3 hearing offices, each serving a defined geographic area within the state.

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