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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 · 2026-03
Initial receipts
6,209
Initial determinations
5,611
Initial allowance rate
36.9%
Initial pending
20,315
Recon determinations
1,845
Recon allowance rate
20.0%
Hearing offices in Illinois
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK PARK | 40 | 243 | 2,677 | 65.6% | 10 |
| PEORIA | 61 | 250 | 1,342 | 56.5% | 5 |
| EVANSTON | 63 | 251 | 2,214 | 61.5% | 6 |
| ORLAND PARK | 82 | 258 | 1,883 | 42.7% | 6 |
| OAK BROOK | 100 | 266 | 1,065 | 60.2% | 2 |
| CHICAGO | 136 | 289 | 3,009 | 55.4% | 8 |
| NHC CHICAGO | — | 312 | 1,886 | 55.6% | 10 |
ALJs in Illinois (47)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gruenburg, Dawn | OAK PARK | 87.3% | 316 | 276 | |
| Paige, Melody | OAK PARK | 85.9% | 269 | 231 | |
| Thrasher, Richard | NHC CHICAGO | 85.3% | 95 | 81 | |
| Contorer, Beth | OAK PARK | 81.3% | 251 | 204 | |
| Travis, Claudia | OAK BROOK | 80.7% | 228 | 184 | |
| Alaga-Gadigian, Janet | OAK PARK | 80.3% | 142 | 114 | |
| Blackmore, Alice | OAK PARK | 74.1% | 143 | 106 | |
| MacDonald, James | EVANSTON | 71.1% | 270 | 192 | |
| Logan, Michael | CHICAGO | 69.9% | 229 | 160 | |
| Strickler, Nathaniel E | PEORIA | 69.3% | 277 | 192 | |
| Horan, Patrick M. | COLUMBUS | 68.6% | 153 | 105 | |
| Kramzyk, Henry | SPECIAL REVIEW CADRE | 67.1% | 82 | 55 | |
| Suffi, Carla | CHICAGO | 66.8% | 247 | 165 | |
| Pope, Stephen | EVANSTON | 66.0% | 191 | 126 | |
| Vodak, Kevin | EVANSTON | 63.7% | 256 | 163 | |
| Martin, John | NHC CHICAGO | 63.6% | 247 | 157 | |
| Skidmore, David | CHICAGO | 62.8% | 215 | 135 | |
| Bassett, Lovert F. | EVANSTON | 62.5% | 272 | 170 | |
| Saame, Brian | CHICAGO | 62.3% | 61 | 38 | |
| Fuller, Roxanne | SPECIAL REVIEW CADRE | 61.7% | 47 | 29 | |
| Valkavich, Helen | NHC CHICAGO | 60.3% | 219 | 132 | |
| Lucas, Brian | NHC CHICAGO | 59.6% | 292 | 174 | |
| Schwartz, Robert | PEORIA | 59.5% | 259 | 154 | |
| Smith, Gregory | ORLAND PARK | 59.0% | 339 | 200 | |
| Poulose, Mary Ann | NHC CHICAGO | 58.8% | 216 | 127 | |
| Johnson, Lana | EVANSTON | 58.3% | 266 | 155 | |
| Luker, Daniel | PEORIA | 57.0% | 284 | 162 | |
| Bruce, David R | ORLAND PARK | 54.3% | 300 | 163 | |
| Herring, Virginia | OAK PARK | 53.0% | 279 | 148 | |
| Laskaris, Bill | CHICAGO | 51.4% | 247 | 127 | |
| Bridges, Kathryn | NHC CHICAGO | 50.2% | 233 | 117 | |
| Carey, Margaret A | CHICAGO | 49.8% | 235 | 117 | |
| Mengesha-Brown, Trina | NHC ST LOUIS | 48.0% | 221 | 106 | |
| Sayon, Karen | ORLAND PARK | 47.6% | 254 | 121 | |
| Wilson, Shreese | PEORIA | 46.4% | 84 | 39 | |
| Studzinski, Edward | OAK BROOK | 45.9% | 327 | 150 | |
| Sharrard, Anne | NHC CHICAGO | 45.6% | 114 | 52 | |
| Inouye, Jessica | EVANSTON | 44.4% | 196 | 87 | |
| Garelick, Jordan | CHICAGO | 43.6% | 195 | 85 | |
| Hellman, Michael | SPRINGFIELD MA | 43.0% | 86 | 37 | |
| Mellman, Nathan | CHICAGO | 40.0% | 225 | 90 | |
| McKay, Patricia S. | OAK PARK | 39.9% | 208 | 83 | |
| LaRoche, Roy | OAK PARK | 39.3% | 280 | 110 | |
| Wood, John | PEORIA | 37.7% | 191 | 72 | |
| Akers, Janet | ORLAND PARK | 24.9% | 253 | 63 | |
| Kadlec, Kathleen | ORLAND PARK | 15.7% | 217 | 34 | |
| 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.