All markets
Updated June 2026 · SSA Public

Market opportunity · VA

Prime market

Virginia.

Roughly 42,174 new disability claims are filed in Virginia each year. At a 20% retention rate and a conservative $6,900 fee per retained case, the addressable fee pool is approximately $58M annually.

Annual DDS intake

42,174

Initial claims / year

DDS approval

43.7%

Nat'l: 39.8%

Avg office wait

278 days

Nat'l hearing: 365 days

Fee pool (est.)

$58M

Annualized · retention × cap

01 · Bench

Top 5 ALJs by approval rate.

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

ALJOfficeApprovalDecisions
Thompson, MichelleLOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN86.6%298
Scruton, Joseph TROANOKE69.5%295
Schueler, Jeffrey JROANOKE68.4%19
Galloway, ChristopherCHARLESTON WV66.9%178
Pflugrath, WilliamNORFOLK66.3%184

02 · Offices

Hearing-office timing.

Fastest

  • ROANOKE248 days
  • CHARLOTTESVILLE255 days
  • RICHMOND260 days

Slowest

  • NHC FALLS CHURCH346 days
  • NORFOLK281 days
  • RICHMOND260 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.