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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
EVANSTON
Region 05Rank #63 of 160
Avg processing
251days
-13 vs national
Processing time
251
8.4 months
Hearing wait
8.0
months (current)
Cases pending
2,214
FY receipts
2,145
FY dispositions
1,749
Active judges
6
Video hearings
27%
of hearings held
Avg approval rate
61.5%
+3.7 vs avg
Backlog ratio
1.23
Growing
Rank
#63
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 73 daysAvg · 264 daysSlowest · 673 days
The draw · approval spread across 6 judges
44%
71%
0%Median 63.1%100%
At EVANSTON, approval rates range from 44.4% (Inouye, Jessica) to 71.1% (MacDonald, James) — a 27-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 (63.1%), not the best case.
Judges at EVANSTON (6)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacDonald, James | 71.1% | 270 | 192 | 78 | |
| Pope, Stephen | 66.0% | 191 | 126 | 65 | |
| Vodak, Kevin | 63.7% | 256 | 163 | 93 | |
| Bassett, Lovert F. | 62.5% | 272 | 170 | 102 | |
| Johnson, Lana | 58.3% | 266 | 155 | 111 | |
| Inouye, Jessica | 44.4% | 196 | 87 | 109 |