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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public
State Profile
North Carolina
NC · Region ATL
DDS approval rate
37.0%
-2.8 pts vs national
DDS approval rate
37.0%
National: 39.8%
3-year change
+3.9 pts
Annual receipts
66,417
FY2024
Hearing offices
4
39 ALJs
Latest monthly DDS data · 2026-06
Initial receipts
5,838
Initial determinations
5,931
Initial allowance rate
37.1%
Initial pending
28,028
Recon determinations
2,302
Recon allowance rate
14.2%
Hearing offices in North Carolina
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLOTTE | 49 | 247 | 3,177 | 71.5% | 9 |
| RALEIGH | 85 | 259 | 3,441 | 61.5% | 19 |
| GREENSBORO | 102 | 268 | 2,218 | 65.0% | 8 |
| FAYETTEVILLE NC | 108 | 271 | 2,048 | 65.8% | 6 |
ALJs in North Carolina (39)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asseff, Brent T. | CHARLOTTE | 88.4% | 371 | 328 | |
| Spitz, Maria | GREENSBORO | 85.7% | 307 | 263 | |
| Huggins, Randall D. | CHARLOTTE | 85.5% | 296 | 253 | |
| Thawley, John A | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 83.1% | 195 | 162 | |
| Ryerse, Mary | CHARLOTTE | 82.7% | 313 | 259 | |
| Naylor, Amy | MONTGOMERY | 81.9% | 282 | 231 | |
| Jackson, Richard | GREENSBORO | 81.2% | 260 | 211 | |
| Grounds, Sonya | COVINGTON GA | 78.4% | 125 | 98 | |
| Jenkins, Theresa R. | CHARLOTTE | 78.0% | 286 | 223 | |
| Jamison, Peter | CHARLOTTE | 77.0% | 331 | 255 | |
| Porter, Adrienne | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 76.4% | 347 | 265 | |
| Harper, Catherine | RALEIGH | 73.4% | 297 | 218 | |
| Dorman, Clint | GREENSBORO | 73.2% | 306 | 224 | |
| Shea, David J | RALEIGH | 70.9% | 323 | 229 | |
| Rideout, Robert | RALEIGH | 70.6% | 143 | 101 | |
| Messina, Christopher | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 70.0% | 40 | 28 | |
| Selland, R. Dirk | CHARLOTTE | 69.7% | 152 | 106 | |
| Bumgarner, Ashley | COLUMBIA SC | 69.4% | 186 | 129 | |
| Lucas, Vanessa | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 68.3% | 357 | 244 | |
| Hall, Brandie | LOUISVILLE | 67.3% | 171 | 115 | |
| Wordsworth, Paula | RALEIGH | 65.9% | 331 | 218 | |
| Wisz, Katherine | RALEIGH | 64.3% | 143 | 92 | |
| Brinkley, Joseph L. | RALEIGH | 62.1% | 354 | 220 | |
| von Euler, Barbara | GREENSBORO | 57.8% | 102 | 59 | |
| Wright, Wanda | RALEIGH | 57.1% | 247 | 141 | |
| Booth, Joseph | GREENSBORO | 54.1% | 316 | 171 | |
| Hoskins-Hart, Teresa | RALEIGH | 53.4% | 292 | 156 | |
| Goodson, Paul | CHARLOTTE | 53.3% | 300 | 160 | |
| Cavadi, Michelle D. | GREENSBORO | 53.1% | 286 | 152 | |
| McMillion, Benjamin R. | GREENSBORO | 51.3% | 271 | 139 | |
| McCoy, Nancy | CHARLOTTE | 51.2% | 281 | 144 | |
| Firestone, Scott | GREENSBORO | 50.0% | 118 | 59 | |
| Droker, Robert | JACKSONVILLE | 48.2% | 139 | 67 | |
| Ofori-Acquaah, Anne-Marie | RALEIGH | 47.0% | 304 | 143 | |
| Williams, James E | RALEIGH | 46.9% | 292 | 137 | |
| Finnie, Michael | FRANKLIN TN | 46.3% | 177 | 82 | |
| Willis, Christopher | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 42.3% | 376 | 159 | |
| Poulos, Susan | CHARLOTTE | 37.9% | 182 | 69 | |
| Weaver, Cynthia | ATLANTA NORTH | 37.6% | 101 | 38 |
Next step
Estimate approval odds
See SSA historical approval base rates for a North Carolina claim by condition, age, and stage.