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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public

Hearing Office

NHC ST LOUIS

Unassigned region

Avg processing

335days

+71 vs national

Processing time

335

11.2 months

Hearing wait

11.0

months (current)

Cases pending

1,185

FY receipts

1,116

FY dispositions

1,402

Active judges

7

Video hearings

93%

of hearings held

Avg approval rate

45.2%

-12.6 vs avg

Backlog ratio

0.80

Shrinking

Rank

Unranked

Processing time in context

Fastest · 73 daysAvg · 264 daysSlowest · 673 days

The draw · approval spread across 6 judges

35%
52%
0%Median 48.4%100%

At NHC ST LOUIS, approval rates range from 35.2% (Doyle, Joseph R.) to 51.5% (Benton, Amy) — 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 (48.4%), not the best case.

Judges at NHC ST LOUIS (7)

JudgeApprovalDecisionsFavorableDeniedTrend
Suing, Timothy77.3%22175
Benton, Amy51.5%331716
Steger, Brian M.49.4%245121124
Harvin-Woode, Mattie48.9%1416972
Mengesha-Brown, Trina48.0%221106115
Preston, Kathryn42.4%20587118
Doyle, Joseph R.35.2%25389164