Back to all offices
Updated July 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
FORT SMITH
Avg processing
276days
+10 vs national
Processing time
276
9.2 months
Hearing wait
8.0
months (current)
Cases pending
1,187
FY receipts
902
FY dispositions
786
Active judges
4
Video hearings
27%
of hearings held
Avg approval rate
65.8%
+8.1 vs avg
Backlog ratio
1.15
Growing
Rank
#118
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 72 daysAvg · 266 daysSlowest · 680 days
The draw · approval spread across 3 judges
56%
91%
0%Median 65.7%100%
At FORT SMITH, approval rates range from 55.6% (Jones, Bill) to 90.6% (Engel, David) — a 35-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 (65.7%), not the best case.
Judges at FORT SMITH (4)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engel, David | 90.6% | 191 | 173 | 18 | |
| McGee, Elisabeth | 65.7% | 376 | 247 | 129 | |
| Jones, Bill | 55.6% | 423 | 235 | 188 | |
| Romeo, David | 53.8% | 26 | 14 | 12 |