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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
82 ALJs
Latest monthly DDS data · 2026-06
Initial receipts
10,762
Initial determinations
7,428
Initial allowance rate
39.9%
Initial pending
39,731
Recon determinations
3,055
Recon allowance rate
20.6%
Hearing offices in Florida
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 4 | 221 | 2,338 | 63.4% | 4 |
| FORT MYERS FL | 9 | 229 | 1,737 | 64.5% | 5 |
| TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 21 | 236 | 1,962 | 69.2% | 5 |
| MIAMI OHO | 57 | 249 | 2,674 | 62.9% | 35 |
| JACKSONVILLE | 63 | 252 | 4,604 | 51.1% | 10 |
| ORLANDO | 64 | 253 | 4,341 | 59.7% | 9 |
| FT LAUDERDALE | 81 | 258 | 4,402 | 51.2% | 10 |
| TAMPA OHO | 85 | 259 | 5,154 | 58.7% | 13 |
ALJs in Florida (82)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartledge, James Cole | MIAMI OHO | 96.0% | 225 | 216 | |
| Paddack, Stacy | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 88.0% | 334 | 294 | |
| Pennock, Carol J. | MIAMI OHO | 86.4% | 59 | 51 | |
| Thawley, John A | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 83.1% | 195 | 162 | |
| Dixon III, Andrew | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 80.2% | 101 | 81 | |
| Grounds, Sonya | COVINGTON GA | 78.4% | 125 | 98 | |
| Collins, Yelanda | JACKSONVILLE | 78.3% | 115 | 90 | |
| Northington, Maria | FORT MYERS FL | 78.1% | 342 | 267 | |
| Viera-Vargas, Angel X | SAN JUAN | 77.9% | 149 | 116 | |
| Sprague, Jonathan | FT LAUDERDALE | 77.8% | 99 | 77 | |
| Hunn, Wendy | FT LAUDERDALE | 77.3% | 207 | 160 | |
| Jones, Stephanie M | KNOXVILLE | 75.2% | 109 | 82 | |
| Johannes, Ryan | FORT MYERS FL | 74.8% | 349 | 261 | |
| McGhee, Carl C. | TAMPA OHO | 73.8% | 244 | 180 | |
| D'Alessio, Rossana L | FT LAUDERDALE | 72.5% | 338 | 245 | |
| Wolfe, Rebecca | MIAMI OHO | 72.5% | 298 | 216 | |
| Jones, Brian | HATTIESBURG | 72.3% | 130 | 94 | |
| Landrum, Bruce | JACKSONVILLE | 72.0% | 214 | 154 | |
| Hemming, Norman | MIAMI OHO | 71.6% | 261 | 187 | |
| Rideout, Robert | RALEIGH | 70.6% | 143 | 101 | |
| Herin, Walter Cary | COLUMBIA SC | 70.6% | 245 | 173 | |
| Messina, Christopher | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 70.0% | 40 | 28 | |
| Selland, R. Dirk | CHARLOTTE | 69.7% | 152 | 106 | |
| McIntosh, Melissa J. | TAMPA OHO | 69.5% | 305 | 212 | |
| Skarda, Trevor | SACRAMENTO | 68.5% | 108 | 74 | |
| Smith, Donald G. | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 68.1% | 395 | 269 | |
| Dail, Grant | ATLANTA DOWNTOWN | 67.5% | 191 | 129 | |
| Ballieu, Robert | TAMPA OHO | 67.4% | 141 | 95 | |
| Hall, Brandie | LOUISVILLE | 67.3% | 171 | 115 | |
| Alderisio, James P. | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 67.1% | 322 | 216 | |
| Gray, Stacy | FLORENCE | 66.7% | 150 | 100 | |
| Houston, Pamela | ORLANDO | 66.5% | 370 | 246 | |
| Heller, Joshua | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 65.4% | 272 | 178 | |
| Pope, Stephen | EVANSTON | 64.7% | 207 | 134 | |
| Kirk, Emily | ORLANDO | 64.4% | 317 | 204 | |
| Detherage, Kevin | ORLANDO | 63.9% | 269 | 172 | |
| Koster, Guy | JACKSONVILLE | 63.8% | 163 | 104 | |
| Aranda, Clara H | MIAMI OHO | 63.3% | 308 | 195 | |
| Ortiz-Valero, Richard J | FT LAUDERDALE | 63.3% | 308 | 195 | |
| Walker, Douglas A | ORLANDO | 62.8% | 363 | 228 | |
| DeGruy, Elizabeth | JACKSON MS OHO | 62.6% | 139 | 87 | |
| Silva, Mario | FORT MYERS FL | 61.5% | 13 | 8 | |
| Rodriguez-Quilichini, Edgardo | ORLANDO | 61.2% | 325 | 199 | |
| Craig, Margaret | TAMPA OHO | 60.9% | 243 | 148 | |
| Zanotti, Barbara | TAMPA OHO | 60.7% | 262 | 159 | |
| Onderak, Matthias | EVANSVILLE | 60.6% | 132 | 80 | |
| Healy, Philip | CHARLESTON SC | 60.1% | 153 | 92 | |
| Vallecillo, Gonzalo | TAMPA OHO | 59.8% | 117 | 70 | |
| Marzan, Shirley | TAMPA OHO | 58.9% | 270 | 159 | |
| Hill, Vincent | MACON | 57.4% | 122 | 70 |
Showing the top 50 of 82 judges.
Next step
Estimate approval odds
See SSA historical approval base rates for a Florida claim by condition, age, and stage.