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Updated July 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
ALBUQUERQUE
Avg processing
264days
-2 vs national
Processing time
264
8.8 months
Hearing wait
9.0
months (current)
Cases pending
2,145
FY receipts
2,219
FY dispositions
1,542
Active judges
18
Video hearings
39%
of hearings held
Avg approval rate
54.0%
-3.7 vs avg
Backlog ratio
1.44
Growing
Rank
#97
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 72 daysAvg · 266 daysSlowest · 680 days
The draw · approval spread across 16 judges
40%
83%
0%Median 51.4%100%
At ALBUQUERQUE, approval rates range from 39.7% (Van Vleck, Deborah J) to 83.4% (Stults, Douglas) — a 44-pointspread. Assignment is effectively the luck of the draw, so the judge a case lands with can matter more than the office’s average. Plan for the median (51.4%), not the best case.
Judges at ALBUQUERQUE (18)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stults, Douglas | 83.4% | 338 | 282 | 56 | |
| Suing, Timothy | 77.3% | 22 | 17 | 5 | |
| Juge, Christopher H. | 62.9% | 170 | 107 | 63 | |
| Fellabaum, Jennifer | 60.2% | 241 | 145 | 96 | |
| Elias, Yasmin | 58.8% | 51 | 30 | 21 | |
| Hansen, Holly | 58.7% | 366 | 215 | 151 | |
| Lough, Sarah | 58.0% | 274 | 159 | 115 | |
| Wiedemann, Karen | 57.0% | 284 | 162 | 122 | |
| Lindsay, Michelle | 52.2% | 23 | 12 | 11 | |
| Benedict, David | 51.7% | 348 | 180 | 168 | |
| Leppala, Michael | 51.1% | 321 | 164 | 157 | |
| Exnicios, Richard M. | 50.5% | 331 | 167 | 164 | |
| Timmins, Talia | 48.1% | 268 | 129 | 139 | |
| O'Melinn, Barry | 47.2% | 286 | 135 | 151 | |
| Hertzig, Michael S. | 46.7% | 227 | 106 | 121 | |
| Midles, Matt | 45.0% | 211 | 95 | 116 | |
| Freedman, Robert | 43.0% | 351 | 151 | 200 | |
| Van Vleck, Deborah J | 39.7% | 234 | 93 | 141 |