All markets
Updated June 2026 · SSA Public

Market opportunity · SC

Prime market

South Carolina.

Roughly 33,137 new disability claims are filed in South Carolina each year. At a 20% retention rate and a conservative $6,900 fee per retained case, the addressable fee pool is approximately $46M annually.

Annual DDS intake

33,137

Initial claims / year

DDS approval

40.3%

Nat'l: 39.8%

Avg office wait

236 days

Nat'l hearing: 365 days

Fee pool (est.)

$46M

Annualized · retention × cap

01 · Bench

Top 5 ALJs by approval rate.

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

ALJOfficeApprovalDecisions
Naylor, AmyMONTGOMERY81.9%282
Dixon III, AndrewTALLAHASSEE FL OHO80.2%101
Grounds, SonyaCOVINGTON GA78.4%125
Craven, AmandaGREENVILLE76.9%373
Jones, Stephanie MKNOXVILLE75.2%109

02 · Offices

Hearing-office timing.

Fastest

  • CHARLESTON SC225 days
  • GREENVILLE233 days
  • FLORENCE237 days

Slowest

  • COLUMBIA SC249 days
  • FLORENCE237 days
  • GREENVILLE233 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.