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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public
State Profile
Florida
FL · Region ATL
DDS approval rate
36.6%
-3.2 pts vs national
DDS approval rate
36.6%
National: 39.8%
3-year change
+2.7 pts
Annual receipts
119,859
FY2024
Hearing offices
8
81 ALJs
Latest monthly DDS data · 2026-03
Initial receipts
11,227
Initial determinations
6,818
Initial allowance rate
44.4%
Initial pending
47,802
Recon determinations
7,231
Recon allowance rate
16.7%
Hearing offices in Florida
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 4 | 219 | 2,699 | 64.5% | 4 |
| FORT MYERS FL | 8 | 226 | 1,799 | 64.6% | 5 |
| TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 18 | 233 | 1,985 | 68.8% | 5 |
| MIAMI OHO | 57 | 248 | 2,670 | 63.6% | 34 |
| JACKSONVILLE | 61 | 250 | 4,716 | 50.2% | 10 |
| ORLANDO | 63 | 251 | 4,345 | 60.5% | 9 |
| TAMPA OHO | 80 | 257 | 5,351 | 58.1% | 13 |
| FT LAUDERDALE | 82 | 258 | 4,389 | 51.3% | 9 |
ALJs in Florida (81)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartledge, James Cole | MIAMI OHO | 96.0% | 225 | 216 | |
| Paddack, Stacy | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 86.8% | 287 | 249 | |
| Pennock, Carol J. | MIAMI OHO | 86.4% | 59 | 51 | |
| Thawley, John A | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 84.3% | 172 | 145 | |
| Dixon III, Andrew | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 80.3% | 76 | 61 | |
| Grounds, Sonya | COVINGTON GA | 78.6% | 112 | 88 | |
| Collins, Yelanda | JACKSONVILLE | 78.3% | 115 | 90 | |
| Sprague, Jonathan | FT LAUDERDALE | 77.8% | 99 | 77 | |
| Northington, Maria | FORT MYERS FL | 77.6% | 277 | 215 | |
| Hunn, Wendy | FT LAUDERDALE | 77.3% | 185 | 143 | |
| Viera-Vargas, Angel X | SAN JUAN | 76.4% | 127 | 97 | |
| Johannes, Ryan | FORT MYERS FL | 76.2% | 298 | 227 | |
| Jones, Stephanie M | KNOXVILLE | 74.7% | 83 | 62 | |
| McGhee, Carl C. | TAMPA OHO | 74.5% | 220 | 164 | |
| Wolfe, Rebecca | MIAMI OHO | 72.0% | 268 | 193 | |
| D'Alessio, Rossana L | FT LAUDERDALE | 71.5% | 305 | 218 | |
| Jones, Brian | HATTIESBURG | 71.4% | 98 | 70 | |
| Landrum, Bruce | JACKSONVILLE | 71.4% | 175 | 125 | |
| Hemming, Norman | MIAMI OHO | 70.9% | 251 | 178 | |
| Herin, Walter Cary | COLUMBIA SC | 70.9% | 213 | 151 | |
| Smith, Donald G. | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 69.7% | 357 | 249 | |
| Messina, Christopher | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 69.4% | 36 | 25 | |
| Skarda, Trevor | SACRAMENTO | 69.3% | 88 | 61 | |
| Selland, R. Dirk | CHARLOTTE | 68.8% | 128 | 88 | |
| Dail, Grant | ATLANTA DOWNTOWN | 68.3% | 167 | 114 | |
| McIntosh, Melissa J. | TAMPA OHO | 67.9% | 268 | 182 | |
| Hall, Brandie | LOUISVILLE | 67.9% | 140 | 95 | |
| Rideout, Robert | RALEIGH | 67.8% | 115 | 78 | |
| Alderisio, James P. | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 67.5% | 280 | 189 | |
| Ballieu, Robert | TAMPA OHO | 66.9% | 127 | 85 | |
| Gray, Stacy | FLORENCE | 66.9% | 130 | 87 | |
| Pope, Stephen | EVANSTON | 66.0% | 191 | 126 | |
| Houston, Pamela | ORLANDO | 66.0% | 326 | 215 | |
| Kirk, Emily | ORLANDO | 65.8% | 284 | 187 | |
| Heller, Joshua | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 65.7% | 239 | 157 | |
| Detherage, Kevin | ORLANDO | 65.3% | 245 | 160 | |
| Ortiz-Valero, Richard J | FT LAUDERDALE | 63.1% | 263 | 166 | |
| Aranda, Clara H | MIAMI OHO | 62.6% | 270 | 169 | |
| Onderak, Matthias | EVANSVILLE | 62.5% | 120 | 75 | |
| Craig, Margaret | TAMPA OHO | 62.4% | 210 | 131 | |
| Rodriguez-Quilichini, Edgardo | ORLANDO | 62.1% | 285 | 177 | |
| Koster, Guy | JACKSONVILLE | 62.1% | 145 | 90 | |
| Walker, Douglas A | ORLANDO | 61.9% | 318 | 197 | |
| Silva, Mario | FORT MYERS FL | 61.5% | 13 | 8 | |
| DeGruy, Elizabeth | JACKSON MS OHO | 60.5% | 114 | 69 | |
| Zanotti, Barbara | TAMPA OHO | 59.6% | 240 | 143 | |
| Healy, Philip | CHARLESTON SC | 58.6% | 133 | 78 | |
| Mahon, Janet | ORLANDO | 58.5% | 337 | 197 | |
| Alger, Ryan | HARTFORD | 58.3% | 180 | 105 | |
| Marzan, Shirley | TAMPA OHO | 57.4% | 237 | 136 |
Showing the top 50 of 81 judges.
Next step
Estimate approval odds
See SSA historical approval base rates for a Florida claim by condition, age, and stage.