State Profile
Louisiana
DDS approval rate
37.2%
-2.6 pts vs national
DDS approval rate
37.2%
National: 39.8%
3-year change
-2.6 pts
Annual receipts
37,828
FY2024
Hearing offices
4
27 ALJs
Latest monthly DDS data · 2026-02
Initial receipts
3,258
Initial determinations
3,768
Initial allowance rate
38.9%
Initial pending
28,810
Recon determinations
967
Recon allowance rate
17.1%
Hearing offices in Louisiana
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALEXANDRIA | 37 | 248 | 1,908 | 58.5% | 7 |
| NEW ORLEANS | 66 | 264 | 1,394 | 52.6% | 7 |
| METAIRIE | 82 | 273 | 1,434 | 58.7% | 10 |
| SHREVEPORT | 91 | 282 | 1,296 | 64.7% | 5 |
ALJs in Louisiana (27)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volz, III, Louis J | NEW ORLEANS | 82.4% | 279 | 230 | |
| Abbondondelo, Mary | SHREVEPORT | 81.8% | 329 | 269 | |
| Molinar, Kathleen S | ALEXANDRIA | 73.0% | 415 | 303 | |
| Grant, Robert | ALEXANDRIA | 69.8% | 394 | 275 | |
| Daniels Smoke, Stephani | ALEXANDRIA | 64.8% | 332 | 215 | |
| Hertzig, Michael S | METAIRIE | 63.6% | 118 | 75 | |
| Suing, Timothy | HOUSTON WEST | 62.9% | 70 | 44 | |
| Thomason, Samuel | SHREVEPORT | 62.4% | 402 | 251 | |
| Dail, Grant | SHREVEPORT | 62.4% | 210 | 131 | |
| Hansen, Holly | METAIRIE | 62.0% | 292 | 181 | |
| Juge, Christopher H | METAIRIE | 60.0% | 250 | 150 | |
| Smilie, Carolyn | ALEXANDRIA | 59.2% | 333 | 197 | |
| Wright, Charlotte A | SHREVEPORT | 57.4% | 94 | 54 | |
| Wiedemann, Karen | METAIRIE | 56.5% | 246 | 139 | |
| Exnicios, Richard M | METAIRIE | 56.4% | 266 | 150 | |
| Sartor, Rebecca B | DALLAS DOWNTOWN | 55.8% | 240 | 134 | |
| Shilling, Ralph F | DALLAS NORTH OHO | 55.5% | 238 | 132 | |
| Antonowicz, John | SHREVEPORT | 54.6% | 350 | 191 | |
| Anderson, Monica J | NEW ORLEANS | 51.7% | 360 | 186 | |
| Wurm, David R | SAN ANTONIO | 51.2% | 389 | 199 | |
| Able, Devona | ALEXANDRIA | 48.7% | 312 | 152 | |
| Benedict, David | METAIRIE | 48.4% | 281 | 136 | |
| Mendola, Mark J | DALLAS DOWNTOWN | 46.9% | 179 | 84 | |
| Rachal, Steven M | ALEXANDRIA | 42.5% | 351 | 149 | |
| Fraiser, Jim | NEW ORLEANS | 42.3% | 397 | 168 | |
| Morgan, Jeffery D | NEW ORLEANS | 40.2% | 331 | 133 | |
| Ragona, Lawrence T | ALEXANDRIA | 39.5% | 210 | 83 |
For SSDI firms
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