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Updated July 2026 · SSA Public
Hearing Office
RALEIGH
Avg processing
259days
-7 vs national
Processing time
259
8.6 months
Hearing wait
8.0
months (current)
Cases pending
3,441
FY receipts
4,037
FY dispositions
3,342
Active judges
19
Video hearings
0%
of hearings held
Avg approval rate
61.9%
+4.2 vs avg
Backlog ratio
1.21
Growing
Rank
#85
of 160
Processing time in context
Fastest · 72 daysAvg · 266 daysSlowest · 680 days
The draw · approval spread across 19 judges
43%
83%
0%Median 64.3%100%
At RALEIGH, approval rates range from 42.5% (Weaver, Cynthia) to 83.3% (Naylor, Amy) — a 41-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 (64.3%), not the best case.
Judges at RALEIGH (19)
| Judge | Approval | Decisions | Favorable | Denied | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naylor, Amy | 83.3% | 323 | 269 | 54 | |
| Grounds, Sonya | 77.1% | 157 | 121 | 36 | |
| Harper, Catherine | 72.6% | 343 | 249 | 94 | |
| Shea, David J | 71.2% | 365 | 260 | 105 | |
| Rideout, Robert | 70.8% | 154 | 109 | 45 | |
| Messina, Christopher | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | 13 | |
| Bumgarner, Ashley | 69.4% | 186 | 129 | 57 | |
| Hall, Brandie | 68.4% | 206 | 141 | 65 | |
| Wordsworth, Paula | 67.8% | 376 | 255 | 121 | |
| Wisz, Katherine | 64.3% | 143 | 92 | 51 | |
| Brinkley, Joseph L. | 61.1% | 398 | 243 | 155 | |
| Wright, Wanda | 56.5% | 283 | 160 | 123 | |
| Hoskins-Hart, Teresa | 55.1% | 334 | 184 | 150 | |
| Firestone, Scott | 50.0% | 126 | 63 | 63 | |
| Droker, Robert | 48.7% | 158 | 77 | 81 | |
| Williams, James E | 48.6% | 333 | 162 | 171 | |
| Finnie, Michael | 47.8% | 203 | 97 | 106 | |
| Ofori-Acquaah, Anne-Marie | 45.1% | 355 | 160 | 195 | |
| Weaver, Cynthia | 42.5% | 120 | 51 | 69 |