Back to all states
Updated July 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 · 2026-07
Initial receipts
7,541
Initial determinations
5,568
Initial allowance rate
39.1%
Initial pending
24,681
Recon determinations
1,490
Recon allowance rate
14.6%
Hearing offices in Illinois
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAK PARK | 40 | 243 | 3,076 | 65.3% | 10 |
| PEORIA | 57 | 249 | 1,336 | 57.7% | 5 |
| EVANSTON | 68 | 254 | 2,233 | 60.9% | 7 |
| ORLAND PARK | 78 | 257 | 1,901 | 42.4% | 6 |
| OAK BROOK | 101 | 266 | 1,131 | 60.1% | 2 |
| CHICAGO | 138 | 292 | 3,135 | 53.9% | 10 |
| NHC CHICAGO | — | 312 | 1,515 | 55.4% | 10 |
ALJs in Illinois (47)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gruenburg, Dawn | OAK PARK | 86.4% | 397 | 343 | |
| Paige, Melody | OAK PARK | 86.0% | 336 | 289 | |
| Thrasher, Richard | NHC CHICAGO | 85.7% | 98 | 84 | |
| Contorer, Beth | OAK PARK | 82.4% | 336 | 277 | |
| Travis, Claudia | OAK BROOK | 80.7% | 300 | 242 | |
| Alaga-Gadigian, Janet | OAK PARK | 80.3% | 142 | 114 | |
| Blackmore, Alice | OAK PARK | 74.9% | 167 | 125 | |
| MacDonald, James | EVANSTON | 72.2% | 353 | 255 | |
| Logan, Michael | CHICAGO | 68.7% | 278 | 191 | |
| Strickler, Nathaniel E | PEORIA | 68.4% | 373 | 255 | |
| Horan, Patrick M. | OAK PARK | 66.7% | 180 | 120 | |
| Saame, Brian | CHICAGO | 65.3% | 75 | 49 | |
| Kramzyk, Henry | SPECIAL REVIEW CADRE | 64.9% | 114 | 74 | |
| Suffi, Carla | CHICAGO | 64.2% | 313 | 201 | |
| Martin, John | NHC CHICAGO | 63.6% | 247 | 157 | |
| Pope, Stephen | EVANSTON | 63.3% | 248 | 157 | |
| Bassett, Lovert F. | EVANSTON | 62.9% | 348 | 219 | |
| Skidmore, David | CHICAGO | 61.0% | 267 | 163 | |
| Valkavich, Helen | NHC CHICAGO | 60.0% | 270 | 162 | |
| Schwartz, Robert | PEORIA | 59.9% | 349 | 209 | |
| Vodak, Kevin | EVANSTON | 59.7% | 330 | 197 | |
| Smith, Gregory | ORLAND PARK | 59.2% | 429 | 254 | |
| Poulose, Mary Ann | NHC CHICAGO | 58.8% | 216 | 127 | |
| Lucas, Brian | NHC CHICAGO | 58.1% | 353 | 205 | |
| Luker, Daniel | PEORIA | 57.9% | 361 | 209 | |
| Bruce, David R | ORLAND PARK | 54.6% | 399 | 218 | |
| Johnson, Lana | EVANSTON | 53.8% | 329 | 177 | |
| Fuller, Roxanne | SPECIAL REVIEW CADRE | 53.3% | 90 | 48 | |
| Laskaris, Bill | CHICAGO | 52.4% | 319 | 167 | |
| Herring, Virginia | OAK PARK | 51.2% | 361 | 185 | |
| Bridges, Kathryn | NHC CHICAGO | 50.4% | 234 | 118 | |
| Sharrard, Anne | BOSTON | 48.3% | 174 | 84 | |
| Carey, Margaret A | CHICAGO | 48.2% | 299 | 144 | |
| Mengesha-Brown, Trina | NHC ST LOUIS | 48.0% | 221 | 106 | |
| Sayon, Karen | ORLAND PARK | 47.9% | 330 | 158 | |
| Wilson, Shreese | PEORIA | 46.4% | 84 | 39 | |
| Studzinski, Edward | OAK BROOK | 44.8% | 404 | 181 | |
| Inouye, Jessica | EVANSTON | 44.4% | 196 | 87 | |
| Hellman, Michael | SPRINGFIELD MA | 41.9% | 136 | 57 | |
| McKay, Patricia S. | OAK PARK | 41.5% | 282 | 117 | |
| LaRoche, Roy | OAK PARK | 39.9% | 373 | 149 | |
| Garelick, Jordan | CHICAGO | 39.4% | 284 | 112 | |
| Mellman, Nathan | CHICAGO | 39.3% | 280 | 110 | |
| Wood, John | PEORIA | 37.7% | 191 | 72 | |
| Akers, Janet | ORLAND PARK | 22.9% | 323 | 74 | |
| Kadlec, Kathleen | ORLAND PARK | 15.2% | 277 | 42 | |
| 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.