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Updated July 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
EVANSTON
Avg processing
254days
-12 vs national
Processing time
254
8.5 months
Hearing wait
8.0
months (current)
Cases pending
2,233
FY receipts
2,380
FY dispositions
1,965
Active judges
7
Video hearings
27%
of hearings held
Avg approval rate
60.9%
+3.2 vs avg
Backlog ratio
1.21
Growing
Rank
#68
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 72 daysAvg · 266 daysSlowest · 680 days
The draw · approval spread across 7 judges
44%
72%
0%Median 62.9%100%
At EVANSTON, approval rates range from 44.4% (Inouye, Jessica) to 72.2% (MacDonald, James) — a 28-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 (62.9%), not the best case.
Judges at EVANSTON (7)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacDonald, James | 72.2% | 353 | 255 | 98 | |
| Martin, John | 63.6% | 247 | 157 | 90 | |
| Pope, Stephen | 63.3% | 248 | 157 | 91 | |
| Bassett, Lovert F. | 62.9% | 348 | 219 | 129 | |
| Vodak, Kevin | 59.7% | 330 | 197 | 133 | |
| Johnson, Lana | 53.8% | 329 | 177 | 152 | |
| Inouye, Jessica | 44.4% | 196 | 87 | 109 |