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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
EVANSTON
Region 05Rank #68 of 160
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
61.4%
+3.7 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%
71%
0%Median 63.1%100%
At EVANSTON, approval rates range from 44.4% (Inouye, Jessica) to 71.5% (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 (7)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacDonald, James | 71.5% | 312 | 223 | 89 | |
| Pope, Stephen | 64.7% | 207 | 134 | 73 | |
| Martin, John | 63.6% | 247 | 157 | 90 | |
| Bassett, Lovert F. | 63.1% | 312 | 197 | 115 | |
| Vodak, Kevin | 61.3% | 292 | 179 | 113 | |
| Johnson, Lana | 56.4% | 291 | 164 | 127 | |
| Inouye, Jessica | 44.4% | 196 | 87 | 109 |