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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
MILWAUKEE
Region 05Rank #92 of 160
Avg processing
261days
-3 vs national
Processing time
261
8.7 months
Hearing wait
8.0
months (current)
Cases pending
2,479
FY receipts
2,580
FY dispositions
1,855
Active judges
7
Video hearings
14%
of hearings held
Avg approval rate
50.2%
-7.6 vs avg
Backlog ratio
1.39
Growing
Rank
#92
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 73 daysAvg · 264 daysSlowest · 673 days
The draw · approval spread across 7 judges
40%
56%
0%Median 53.2%100%
At MILWAUKEE, approval rates range from 40.0% (Syrjanen, Dean) to 55.7% (O'Grady, Margaret J) — a 16-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 (53.2%), not the best case.
Judges at MILWAUKEE (7)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O'Grady, Margaret J | 55.7% | 212 | 118 | 94 | |
| Shenkenberg, William | 54.7% | 247 | 135 | 112 | |
| Bedwell, Brent C | 53.5% | 273 | 146 | 127 | |
| Schwalbach, Nicholas J. | 53.2% | 308 | 164 | 144 | |
| Sammer, Julie | 44.4% | 153 | 68 | 85 | |
| Rouf, Arman | 43.0% | 256 | 110 | 146 | |
| Syrjanen, Dean | 40.0% | 135 | 54 | 81 |