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Updated July 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
OAK PARK
Avg processing
243days
-23 vs national
Processing time
243
8.1 months
Hearing wait
7.0
months (current)
Cases pending
3,076
FY receipts
3,809
FY dispositions
2,642
Active judges
10
Video hearings
6%
of hearings held
Avg approval rate
65.3%
+7.6 vs avg
Backlog ratio
1.44
Growing
Rank
#40
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 72 daysAvg · 266 daysSlowest · 680 days
The draw · approval spread across 10 judges
40%
86%
0%Median 70.8%100%
At OAK PARK, approval rates range from 39.9% (LaRoche, Roy) to 86.4% (Gruenburg, Dawn) — a 46-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 (70.8%), not the best case.
Judges at OAK PARK (10)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gruenburg, Dawn | 86.4% | 397 | 343 | 54 | |
| Paige, Melody | 86.0% | 336 | 289 | 47 | |
| Contorer, Beth | 82.4% | 336 | 277 | 59 | |
| Alaga-Gadigian, Janet | 80.3% | 142 | 114 | 28 | |
| Blackmore, Alice | 74.9% | 167 | 125 | 42 | |
| Horan, Patrick M. | 66.7% | 180 | 120 | 60 | |
| Herring, Virginia | 51.2% | 361 | 185 | 176 | |
| Mengesha-Brown, Trina | 48.0% | 221 | 106 | 115 | |
| McKay, Patricia S. | 41.5% | 282 | 117 | 165 | |
| LaRoche, Roy | 39.9% | 373 | 149 | 224 |