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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public

Market opportunity · NJ

Strong market

New Jersey.

Roughly 47,709 new disability claims are filed in New Jersey each year. At a 20% retention rate and a conservative $6,900 fee per retained case, the addressable fee pool is approximately $66M annually.

Annual DDS intake

47,709

Initial claims / year

DDS approval

38.4%

Nat'l: 39.8%

Avg office wait

307 days

Nat'l hearing: 365 days

Fee pool (est.)

$66M

Annualized · retention × cap

01 · Bench

Top 5 ALJs by approval rate.

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

ALJOfficeApprovalDecisions
Patterson, KarenSOUTH JERSEY81.5%367
Barr, SheenaJERSEY CITY80.1%246
Varillo, KimberlySOUTH JERSEY79.0%333
Merrill, TheresaNEWARK78.6%215
Cornell, KathleenSOUTH JERSEY76.9%307

02 · Offices

Hearing-office timing.

Fastest

  • JERSEY CITY298 days
  • NEWARK301 days
  • SOUTH JERSEY321 days

Slowest

  • SOUTH JERSEY321 days
  • NEWARK301 days
  • JERSEY CITY298 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.