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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public

Market opportunity · CO

Strong market

Colorado.

Roughly 26,041 new disability claims are filed in Colorado each year. At a 20% retention rate and a conservative $6,900 fee per retained case, the addressable fee pool is approximately $36M annually.

Annual DDS intake

26,041

Initial claims / year

DDS approval

36.8%

Nat'l: 39.8%

Avg office wait

266 days

Nat'l hearing: 365 days

Fee pool (est.)

$36M

Annualized · retention × cap

01 · Bench

Top 5 ALJs by approval rate.

Judges currently on the bench in Colorado hearing offices, sorted by favorable decision rate. Use these to prioritize which office a case is assigned to, where permissible.

ALJOfficeApprovalDecisions
Schuman, Kurt D.COLORADO SPRINGS83.3%12
Hugar, TerrenceDENVER82.8%273
Kurbegov, SashaDENVER76.1%176
McGovern, ShaneDENVER60.9%151
Millington, Jennifer BDENVER60.0%240

02 · Offices

Hearing-office timing.

Fastest

  • DENVER247 days
  • COLORADO SPRINGS284 days

Slowest

  • COLORADO SPRINGS284 days
  • DENVER247 days

Methodology · Figures reflect SSA public data through the latest release. Fee pool estimates annualize DDS intake at a conservative 20% retention rate with a 75% cap hit on retained backpay — not a performance guarantee. Approval rates describe historical decisions, not likelihoods on individual cases.