Back to all states
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 · 2026-03
Initial receipts
6,183
Initial determinations
6,348
Initial allowance rate
37.7%
Initial pending
28,951
Recon determinations
1,312
Recon allowance rate
15.8%
Hearing offices in North Carolina
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLOTTE | 53 | 247 | 3,059 | 71.9% | 9 |
| RALEIGH | 90 | 260 | 3,192 | 62.4% | 19 |
| GREENSBORO | 101 | 267 | 2,210 | 64.3% | 8 |
| FAYETTEVILLE NC | 113 | 273 | 2,053 | 66.6% | 5 |
ALJs in North Carolina (39)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asseff, Brent T. | CHARLOTTE | 87.7% | 333 | 292 | |
| Spitz, Maria | GREENSBORO | 85.1% | 269 | 229 | |
| Huggins, Randall D. | CHARLOTTE | 84.9% | 278 | 236 | |
| Thawley, John A | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 84.3% | 172 | 145 | |
| Ryerse, Mary | CHARLOTTE | 83.5% | 285 | 238 | |
| Naylor, Amy | MONTGOMERY | 82.1% | 240 | 197 | |
| Jenkins, Theresa R. | CHARLOTTE | 79.7% | 246 | 196 | |
| Jackson, Richard | GREENSBORO | 79.3% | 222 | 176 | |
| Grounds, Sonya | COVINGTON GA | 78.6% | 112 | 88 | |
| Jamison, Peter | CHARLOTTE | 77.4% | 305 | 236 | |
| Porter, Adrienne | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 76.9% | 307 | 236 | |
| Harper, Catherine | RALEIGH | 73.1% | 268 | 196 | |
| Dorman, Clint | GREENSBORO | 72.8% | 283 | 206 | |
| Shea, David J | RALEIGH | 71.6% | 296 | 212 | |
| Messina, Christopher | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 69.4% | 36 | 25 | |
| Bumgarner, Ashley | COLUMBIA SC | 69.4% | 186 | 129 | |
| Lucas, Vanessa | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 69.1% | 307 | 212 | |
| Selland, R. Dirk | CHARLOTTE | 68.8% | 128 | 88 | |
| Hall, Brandie | LOUISVILLE | 67.9% | 140 | 95 | |
| Rideout, Robert | RALEIGH | 67.8% | 115 | 78 | |
| Wordsworth, Paula | RALEIGH | 67.0% | 294 | 197 | |
| Wisz, Katherine | RALEIGH | 64.3% | 143 | 92 | |
| Brinkley, Joseph L. | RALEIGH | 63.5% | 310 | 197 | |
| Wright, Wanda | RALEIGH | 61.0% | 223 | 136 | |
| von Euler, Barbara | GREENSBORO | 57.8% | 102 | 59 | |
| Hoskins-Hart, Teresa | RALEIGH | 56.4% | 250 | 141 | |
| Booth, Joseph | GREENSBORO | 53.8% | 290 | 156 | |
| McCoy, Nancy | CHARLOTTE | 53.5% | 256 | 137 | |
| Goodson, Paul | CHARLOTTE | 52.5% | 280 | 147 | |
| Firestone, Scott | GREENSBORO | 52.4% | 103 | 54 | |
| McMillion, Benjamin R. | GREENSBORO | 52.0% | 252 | 131 | |
| Cavadi, Michelle D. | GREENSBORO | 51.7% | 263 | 136 | |
| Williams, James E | RALEIGH | 48.8% | 260 | 127 | |
| Ofori-Acquaah, Anne-Marie | RALEIGH | 47.0% | 264 | 124 | |
| Finnie, Michael | FRANKLIN TN | 46.6% | 148 | 69 | |
| Droker, Robert | JACKSONVILLE | 46.6% | 118 | 55 | |
| Willis, Christopher | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 44.5% | 335 | 149 | |
| Poulos, Susan | CHARLOTTE | 36.5% | 148 | 54 | |
| Weaver, Cynthia | ATLANTA NORTH | 34.8% | 92 | 32 |
Next step
Estimate approval odds
See SSA historical approval base rates for a North Carolina claim by condition, age, and stage.