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Updated July 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
CHARLESTON SC
Avg processing
225days
-41 vs national
Processing time
225
7.5 months
Hearing wait
8.0
months (current)
Cases pending
1,856
FY receipts
2,392
FY dispositions
1,760
Active judges
5
Video hearings
0%
of hearings held
Avg approval rate
48.4%
-9.4 vs avg
Backlog ratio
1.36
Growing
Rank
#7
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 72 daysAvg · 266 daysSlowest · 680 days
The draw · approval spread across 5 judges
14%
65%
0%Median 57.4%100%
At CHARLESTON SC, approval rates range from 14.2% (Georgian, Tammy) to 64.8% (Diggs, William P) — a 51-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 (57.4%), not the best case.
Judges at CHARLESTON SC (5)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diggs, William P | 64.8% | 432 | 280 | 152 | |
| Healy, Philip | 57.5% | 193 | 111 | 82 | |
| Forbes-Schmitt, Nicole S | 57.4% | 338 | 194 | 144 | |
| Watson, Carl Bennett | 48.6% | 323 | 157 | 166 | |
| Georgian, Tammy | 14.2% | 352 | 50 | 302 |