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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public
State Profile
Illinois
IL · Region CHI
DDS approval rate
38.6%
-1.2 pts vs national
DDS approval rate
38.6%
National: 39.8%
3-year change
+1.6 pts
Annual receipts
63,726
FY2024
Hearing offices
7
47 ALJs
Latest monthly DDS data · 2026-06
Initial receipts
5,704
Initial determinations
4,641
Initial allowance rate
39.1%
Initial pending
22,996
Recon determinations
1,267
Recon allowance rate
14.5%
Hearing offices in Illinois
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK PARK | 40 | 243 | 3,076 | 65.2% | 10 |
| PEORIA | 57 | 249 | 1,336 | 57.1% | 5 |
| EVANSTON | 68 | 254 | 2,233 | 61.4% | 7 |
| ORLAND PARK | 78 | 257 | 1,901 | 42.2% | 6 |
| OAK BROOK | 101 | 266 | 1,131 | 60.2% | 2 |
| CHICAGO | 138 | 292 | 3,135 | 54.8% | 10 |
| NHC CHICAGO | — | 312 | 1,515 | 55.6% | 10 |
ALJs in Illinois (47)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gruenburg, Dawn | OAK PARK | 86.4% | 345 | 298 | |
| Paige, Melody | OAK PARK | 85.8% | 295 | 253 | |
| Thrasher, Richard | NHC CHICAGO | 85.7% | 98 | 84 | |
| Contorer, Beth | OAK PARK | 81.7% | 289 | 236 | |
| Travis, Claudia | OAK BROOK | 80.8% | 261 | 211 | |
| Alaga-Gadigian, Janet | OAK PARK | 80.3% | 142 | 114 | |
| Blackmore, Alice | OAK PARK | 74.1% | 162 | 120 | |
| MacDonald, James | EVANSTON | 71.5% | 312 | 223 | |
| Logan, Michael | CHICAGO | 69.0% | 252 | 174 | |
| Strickler, Nathaniel E | PEORIA | 68.8% | 314 | 216 | |
| Horan, Patrick M. | COLUMBUS | 68.6% | 153 | 105 | |
| Kramzyk, Henry | SPECIAL REVIEW CADRE | 67.0% | 91 | 61 | |
| Suffi, Carla | CHICAGO | 66.2% | 275 | 182 | |
| Pope, Stephen | EVANSTON | 64.7% | 207 | 134 | |
| Saame, Brian | CHICAGO | 63.6% | 66 | 42 | |
| Martin, John | NHC CHICAGO | 63.6% | 247 | 157 | |
| Bassett, Lovert F. | EVANSTON | 63.1% | 312 | 197 | |
| Skidmore, David | CHICAGO | 62.5% | 240 | 150 | |
| Vodak, Kevin | EVANSTON | 61.3% | 292 | 179 | |
| Schwartz, Robert | PEORIA | 59.8% | 301 | 180 | |
| Valkavich, Helen | NHC CHICAGO | 59.3% | 236 | 140 | |
| Lucas, Brian | NHC CHICAGO | 59.2% | 314 | 186 | |
| Fuller, Roxanne | SPECIAL REVIEW CADRE | 59.1% | 66 | 39 | |
| Poulose, Mary Ann | NHC CHICAGO | 58.8% | 216 | 127 | |
| Smith, Gregory | ORLAND PARK | 58.7% | 383 | 225 | |
| Luker, Daniel | PEORIA | 57.3% | 321 | 184 | |
| Johnson, Lana | EVANSTON | 56.4% | 291 | 164 | |
| Bruce, David R | ORLAND PARK | 54.1% | 344 | 186 | |
| Herring, Virginia | OAK PARK | 52.3% | 323 | 169 | |
| Laskaris, Bill | CHICAGO | 51.6% | 281 | 145 | |
| Bridges, Kathryn | NHC CHICAGO | 50.4% | 234 | 118 | |
| Carey, Margaret A | CHICAGO | 49.1% | 267 | 131 | |
| Mengesha-Brown, Trina | NHC ST LOUIS | 48.0% | 221 | 106 | |
| Sharrard, Anne | BOSTON | 46.8% | 139 | 65 | |
| Wilson, Shreese | PEORIA | 46.4% | 84 | 39 | |
| Sayon, Karen | ORLAND PARK | 45.9% | 281 | 129 | |
| Studzinski, Edward | OAK BROOK | 45.3% | 362 | 164 | |
| Inouye, Jessica | EVANSTON | 44.4% | 196 | 87 | |
| Hellman, Michael | SPRINGFIELD MA | 43.8% | 105 | 46 | |
| Garelick, Jordan | CHICAGO | 42.1% | 228 | 96 | |
| McKay, Patricia S. | OAK PARK | 40.7% | 241 | 98 | |
| Mellman, Nathan | CHICAGO | 39.8% | 251 | 100 | |
| LaRoche, Roy | OAK PARK | 39.2% | 319 | 125 | |
| Wood, John | PEORIA | 37.7% | 191 | 72 | |
| Akers, Janet | ORLAND PARK | 23.8% | 282 | 67 | |
| Kadlec, Kathleen | ORLAND PARK | 15.5% | 239 | 37 | |
| Sanzi, Thomas | NHC CHICAGO | 14.2% | 155 | 22 |
Next step
Estimate approval odds
See SSA historical approval base rates for a Illinois claim by condition, age, and stage.