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Updated July 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
ATLANTA DOWNTOWN
Avg processing
255days
-11 vs national
Processing time
255
8.5 months
Hearing wait
7.0
months (current)
Cases pending
4,011
FY receipts
4,696
FY dispositions
3,018
Active judges
11
Video hearings
7%
of hearings held
Avg approval rate
66.4%
+8.7 vs avg
Backlog ratio
1.56
Growing
Rank
#72
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 72 daysAvg · 266 daysSlowest · 680 days
The draw · approval spread across 11 judges
50%
86%
0%Median 66.6%100%
At ATLANTA DOWNTOWN, approval rates range from 49.7% (Bentley, Lisa A.) to 86.3% (McHenry, Laura) — a 37-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 (66.6%), not the best case.
Judges at ATLANTA DOWNTOWN (11)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McHenry, Laura | 86.3% | 182 | 157 | 25 | |
| Littlefield, Suzanne A. | 80.9% | 209 | 169 | 40 | |
| Childs, J. Samuel | 75.9% | 303 | 230 | 73 | |
| Murray, Charles | 75.2% | 262 | 197 | 65 | |
| Messina, Christopher | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | 13 | |
| Miller, Hilton R | 66.6% | 371 | 247 | 124 | |
| Dail, Grant | 66.2% | 231 | 153 | 78 | |
| Egemonye, Ucheakpunwa | 64.1% | 409 | 262 | 147 | |
| Lykins, Raymond M | 59.7% | 320 | 191 | 129 | |
| McMichael, Carla | 51.9% | 266 | 138 | 128 | |
| Bentley, Lisa A. | 49.7% | 306 | 152 | 154 |