All markets
Updated June 2026 · SSA Public

Market opportunity · DC

Strong market

District of Columbia.

Roughly 4,417 new disability claims are filed in District of Columbia each year. At a 20% retention rate and a conservative $6,900 fee per retained case, the addressable fee pool is approximately $6M annually.

Annual DDS intake

4,417

Initial claims / year

DDS approval

35.6%

Nat'l: 39.8%

Avg office wait

273 days

Nat'l hearing: 365 days

Fee pool (est.)

$6M

Annualized · retention × cap

01 · Bench

Top 5 ALJs by approval rate.

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

ALJOfficeApprovalDecisions
Cartledge, James ColeMIAMI OHO96.0%225
Bryant, SWASHINGTON87.6%290
Forrest-Doyle, MaryBALTIMORE85.4%164
Blount, NaKeishaWASHINGTON84.1%233
Cutlar, MalikWASHINGTON66.5%203

02 · Offices

Hearing-office timing.

Fastest

  • WASHINGTON273 days

Slowest

  • WASHINGTON273 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.