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Updated July 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
85 ALJs
Latest monthly DDS data · 2026-07
Initial receipts
14,879
Initial determinations
8,328
Initial allowance rate
39.8%
Initial pending
37,142
Recon determinations
2,826
Recon allowance rate
17.6%
Hearing offices in Florida
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 4 | 221 | 2,338 | 63.5% | 5 |
| FORT MYERS FL | 9 | 229 | 1,737 | 65.6% | 6 |
| TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 21 | 236 | 1,962 | 67.8% | 5 |
| MIAMI OHO | 57 | 249 | 2,674 | 63.1% | 35 |
| JACKSONVILLE | 63 | 252 | 4,604 | 51.3% | 10 |
| ORLANDO | 64 | 253 | 4,341 | 59.1% | 10 |
| FT LAUDERDALE | 81 | 258 | 4,402 | 50.9% | 10 |
| TAMPA OHO | 85 | 259 | 5,154 | 58.9% | 13 |
ALJs in Florida (85)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis, Deborah E | ORLANDO | 100.0% | 1 | 1 | |
| Scully-Hayes, Kathleen | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 100.0% | 3 | 3 | |
| Cartledge, James Cole | MIAMI OHO | 96.0% | 225 | 216 | |
| Pennock, Carol J. | MIAMI OHO | 86.4% | 59 | 51 | |
| Paddack, Stacy | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 86.2% | 370 | 319 | |
| Thawley, John A | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 82.8% | 233 | 193 | |
| Northington, Maria | FORT MYERS FL | 79.7% | 414 | 330 | |
| Jones, Stephanie M | KNOXVILLE | 79.1% | 129 | 102 | |
| Dixon III, Andrew | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 78.6% | 117 | 92 | |
| Collins, Yelanda | JACKSONVILLE | 78.3% | 115 | 90 | |
| Hunn, Wendy | FT LAUDERDALE | 78.1% | 247 | 193 | |
| Sprague, Jonathan | FT LAUDERDALE | 77.8% | 99 | 77 | |
| Grounds, Sonya | COVINGTON GA | 77.1% | 157 | 121 | |
| Viera-Vargas, Angel X | SAN JUAN | 77.0% | 191 | 147 | |
| Johannes, Ryan | FORT MYERS FL | 74.1% | 397 | 294 | |
| Jones, Brian | HATTIESBURG | 72.6% | 157 | 114 | |
| McGhee, Carl C. | TAMPA OHO | 72.5% | 295 | 214 | |
| D'Alessio, Rossana L | FT LAUDERDALE | 72.5% | 367 | 266 | |
| Hemming, Norman | MIAMI OHO | 71.9% | 263 | 189 | |
| Landrum, Bruce | JACKSONVILLE | 71.8% | 227 | 163 | |
| Wolfe, Rebecca | MIAMI OHO | 71.1% | 336 | 239 | |
| Rideout, Robert | RALEIGH | 70.8% | 154 | 109 | |
| Messina, Christopher | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | |
| Skarda, Trevor | STOCKTON | 69.4% | 121 | 84 | |
| McIntosh, Melissa J. | TAMPA OHO | 69.3% | 342 | 237 | |
| Herin, Walter Cary | COLUMBIA SC | 69.3% | 280 | 194 | |
| Ballieu, Robert | TAMPA OHO | 69.2% | 172 | 119 | |
| Selland, R. Dirk | CHARLOTTE | 69.1% | 162 | 112 | |
| Smith, Donald G. | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 68.8% | 443 | 305 | |
| Hall, Brandie | LOUISVILLE | 68.4% | 206 | 141 | |
| Alderisio, James P. | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 68.1% | 373 | 254 | |
| Gray, Stacy | FLORENCE | 66.9% | 172 | 115 | |
| Dail, Grant | ATLANTA DOWNTOWN | 66.2% | 231 | 153 | |
| Heller, Joshua | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 65.9% | 320 | 211 | |
| Koster, Guy | JACKSONVILLE | 64.6% | 178 | 115 | |
| Houston, Pamela | ORLANDO | 64.5% | 409 | 264 | |
| Ortiz-Valero, Richard J | FT LAUDERDALE | 64.4% | 340 | 219 | |
| Aranda, Clara H | MIAMI OHO | 64.1% | 354 | 227 | |
| Kirk, Emily | ORLANDO | 63.7% | 361 | 230 | |
| Vallecillo, Gonzalo | TAMPA OHO | 63.6% | 143 | 91 | |
| Pope, Stephen | EVANSTON | 63.3% | 248 | 157 | |
| Detherage, Kevin | ORLANDO | 63.2% | 307 | 194 | |
| Walker, Douglas A | ORLANDO | 63.0% | 405 | 255 | |
| DeGruy, Elizabeth | JACKSON MS OHO | 62.7% | 166 | 104 | |
| Craig, Margaret | TAMPA OHO | 62.5% | 272 | 170 | |
| SAINDON, ANGELA | FT LAUDERDALE | 62.5% | 24 | 15 | |
| Zanotti, Barbara | TAMPA OHO | 62.1% | 301 | 187 | |
| Silva, Mario | FORT MYERS FL | 61.5% | 13 | 8 | |
| Rodriguez-Quilichini, Edgardo | ORLANDO | 60.6% | 381 | 231 | |
| Onderak, Matthias | EVANSVILLE | 60.4% | 139 | 84 |
Showing the top 50 of 85 judges.
Next step
Estimate approval odds
See SSA historical approval base rates for a Florida claim by condition, age, and stage.