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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
CHARLESTON SC
Region 04Rank #5 of 160
Avg processing
224days
-40 vs national
Processing time
224
7.5 months
Hearing wait
7.0
months (current)
Cases pending
1,795
FY receipts
2,138
FY dispositions
1,567
Active judges
5
Video hearings
0%
of hearings held
Avg approval rate
48.9%
-8.9 vs avg
Backlog ratio
1.36
Growing
Rank
#5
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 73 daysAvg · 264 daysSlowest · 673 days
The draw · approval spread across 5 judges
14%
66%
0%Median 58.6%100%
At CHARLESTON SC, approval rates range from 14.0% (Georgian, Tammy) to 65.8% (Diggs, William P) — a 52-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 (58.6%), not the best case.
Judges at CHARLESTON SC (5)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diggs, William P | 65.8% | 354 | 233 | 121 | |
| Forbes-Schmitt, Nicole S | 59.4% | 261 | 155 | 106 | |
| Healy, Philip | 58.6% | 133 | 78 | 55 | |
| Watson, Carl Bennett | 47.0% | 249 | 117 | 132 | |
| Georgian, Tammy | 14.0% | 272 | 38 | 234 |