Judge Ratings for Atlanta Social Security Hearings (Oct 2024)

The Quality of Atlanta Social Security Hearing Judges

Bad news if you live in Atlanta and have a disability case: many Atlanta Downtown and Atlanta North Social Security Hearing Judges have terrible approval rates! The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and as you can see from the table below, Atlanta Judges are lower, namely 47% for Atlanta Downtown and 43% for Atlanta North.

This page is for Social Security Hearings for people who live in or near Atlanta, Columbus, GA, La Grange, Kennesaw, Newnan, Southlake-Morrow, Villa Rica, Gainesville, GA, Gwinnett, Toccoa, or Winder. That is for Atlanta downtown and Atlanta North hearing offices.  For Macon, Albany, GA, Cordele, Tifton, Warner Robins, or Milledgeville Social Security Hearings click on Judge Ratings for Macon, GA. For Covington, Athens, Decatur, or Griffin Social Security Hearings click on Judge Ratings for Covington, GA

Judge Ratings for Atlanta Social Security Hearings

Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your Atlanta Social Security Hearing for Disability or SSI scheduled in the Office of Hearing Operations (OHO)? Do you want to know everything you can about the where, why and how of the hearing itself? You’re not alone, most of our clients desperately want to know every detail of their Disability Hearing so that they have the best chance of winning. You might have a hearing in Atlanta Downtown or Atlanta North if you have a Social Security Disability/SSI appeal and live in or near Atlanta, Columbus, GA, La Grange, Kennesaw, Newnan, Southlake-Morrow, Villa Rica, Gainesville, GA, Gwinnett, Toccoa, or Winder. The Atlanta Downtown Social Security hearing office is located in the Marquise One Building in the Hotel District downtown in between the Hyatt Regency and the Hilton Atlanta. The Atlanta North Social Security Hearing Office is in Alpharetta on Old Milton Parkway, Route 120 less than a mile from the Route 120 junction with routes 19 & 400. You can find the name of your judge on a hearing scheduled notice or call the number for the hearing office (at the bottom of this page). Here are all the judges’ statistics and other information that you need, and if you’re looking for a Disability Lawyer serving Atlanta, don’t hesitate to call us or email us and we will evaluate your case for free.

Judges’ Statistics

The following table is up to date as of October 2024:

Tip: Don’t say you can work if you can only work part-time, always explain how many hours you could possibly work if given the chance. Judges will almost always find you disabled if they decide that you can only work, for example, four out of eight hours per day in any profession. On the other hand, if you actually are working during your pending Social Security Disability/SSI claim, the judge will want to know how much you’re making per hour. If you’re actually working and making over $1550 per month (2024 dollars) then you usually aren’t disabled. There are exceptions, so be sure to ask an attorney about your specific case. If you need to talk to a Disability Lawyer that serves Atlanta, contact us for a free case evaluation.

Atlanta Social Security Hearing Case Approval Rates and What They Mean

Atlanta Downtown Social Security Hearing Judges range from very good case approval ratings to very much below average case approval ratings. We disregard any Judge with less than 50 total dispositions because their approval rating can change quite significantly over time. So ignore the top six judges. Atlanta North, on the other hand, has Judges that are all below average. That being said, it appears that Atlanta as a whole has less than average judges when it comes to case approval percentages. The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and as you can see, Atlanta Judges are lower, namely 47% for Atlanta Downtown and 43% for Atlanta North. This is not very good and almost everyone with a hearing at either office will have a tough time. However, many people have really good experiences, because some of the judges and staff genuinely care about other people. But many have very bad experiences in Atlanta because it still is Social Security, run by the government, which is a complete and utter mess. The judges there are doing the best they can. Do they get decisions wrong sometimes? Of course, they are human. Only those with very low case approval rates would I call biased.

For example, for Newark Social Security hearings, Administrative Law Judge Brendan Flanagan has the lowest case approval percentage at 16%. This rate is one of the lowest in the country and we have to ask the question: is Judge Flanagan biased against claimants? Does he only approve people over 55 years of age? Hard to tell, because there is no way to see his individual decisions due to confidentiality. Suffice it to say that if you draw him as a Judge then you are not likely to win your hearing. Judge Messina is at 17% but only has a few decisions so we know his case approval rate will probably change over time.

As for the other judges, quite a few of them are below 40% but above 30%. They may be reasonable but just very skeptical. If you draw a judge with below 40% approval rate then you will need a very good case to win. That usually means that if you’re under 50 you must have a very debilitating condition or being at least 50 or over with a physical condition that prevents the ability to stand and walk. In both cases, you may lose if you have sedentary work experience. Click here to get more information about the rules, or a Disability Lawyer serving Atlanta, like us, can give you the information you need. Click here for a free case evaluation.

Where Will My Hearing Be Held?

Most hearings will be held by phone, the judge’s clerk will call your phone and place you in a conference call. The whole hearing will be held via conference call, it’s actually very efficient. If you have a lawyer the evidence is submitted electronically before the hearing.

If you don’t have a lawyer you’ll have to bring your evidence to the hearing office or mail it in. You can request an in-person hearing, but we don’t advise it. If you do have a in-person hearing or need to submit evidence, check out the photo above from the SSA hearing office locator website. It shows that Atlanta Downtown Social Security hearings are held in Suite 500, Marquis 1, 245 Peachtree Center Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30303. Atlanta North Social Security Hearings are held on the 2nd Floor of 4100 Old Milton Parkway, Alpharetta, GA 30005. You’ll go through the metal detectors – don’t bring any weapons, even a pocket knife, or they won’t let you in. Then check in with the staff and wait to be called for your hearing. If you need to reach the Atlanta Downtown Social Security hearing office, also known as the Office of Hearing Operations, call (866) 964-7350. Atlanta North’s phone number is (855) 210-1031.

What should I do if I need help with my hearing?

If you do not have a lawyer yet, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) presiding over your case will almost always give you a postponement to try to get a lawyer. These hearings are very difficult without a lawyer, and the ALJs rarely get the evidence they need unless a lawyer is involved. If you need a Disability Lawyer serving Atlanta, no matter what stage your case is in, call us or email us and we will evaluate your case for free.