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Updated July 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 · 2026-07
Initial receipts
7,463
Initial determinations
7,296
Initial allowance rate
37.3%
Initial pending
27,966
Recon determinations
3,313
Recon allowance rate
13.0%
Hearing offices in North Carolina
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLOTTE | 49 | 247 | 3,177 | 71.0% | 9 |
| RALEIGH | 85 | 259 | 3,441 | 61.9% | 19 |
| GREENSBORO | 102 | 268 | 2,218 | 64.7% | 8 |
| FAYETTEVILLE NC | 108 | 271 | 2,048 | 65.7% | 6 |
ALJs in North Carolina (39)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asseff, Brent T. | CHARLOTTE | 89.2% | 415 | 370 | |
| Spitz, Maria | GREENSBORO | 84.8% | 343 | 291 | |
| Huggins, Randall D. | CHARLOTTE | 83.9% | 335 | 281 | |
| Naylor, Amy | MONTGOMERY | 83.3% | 323 | 269 | |
| Thawley, John A | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 82.8% | 233 | 193 | |
| Ryerse, Mary | CHARLOTTE | 80.9% | 335 | 271 | |
| Jackson, Richard | GREENSBORO | 79.1% | 306 | 242 | |
| Jenkins, Theresa R. | CHARLOTTE | 78.7% | 324 | 255 | |
| Jamison, Peter | CHARLOTTE | 77.3% | 365 | 282 | |
| Grounds, Sonya | COVINGTON GA | 77.1% | 157 | 121 | |
| Porter, Adrienne | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 74.8% | 413 | 309 | |
| Dorman, Clint | GREENSBORO | 73.3% | 341 | 250 | |
| Harper, Catherine | RALEIGH | 72.6% | 343 | 249 | |
| Shea, David J | RALEIGH | 71.2% | 365 | 260 | |
| Rideout, Robert | RALEIGH | 70.8% | 154 | 109 | |
| Messina, Christopher | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | |
| Bumgarner, Ashley | COLUMBIA SC | 69.4% | 186 | 129 | |
| Selland, R. Dirk | CHARLOTTE | 69.1% | 162 | 112 | |
| Lucas, Vanessa | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 68.5% | 397 | 272 | |
| Hall, Brandie | LOUISVILLE | 68.4% | 206 | 141 | |
| Wordsworth, Paula | RALEIGH | 67.8% | 376 | 255 | |
| Wisz, Katherine | RALEIGH | 64.3% | 143 | 92 | |
| Brinkley, Joseph L. | RALEIGH | 61.1% | 398 | 243 | |
| von Euler, Barbara | GREENSBORO | 57.8% | 102 | 59 | |
| Wright, Wanda | RALEIGH | 56.5% | 283 | 160 | |
| Hoskins-Hart, Teresa | RALEIGH | 55.1% | 334 | 184 | |
| McMillion, Benjamin R. | GREENSBORO | 54.1% | 316 | 171 | |
| Goodson, Paul | CHARLOTTE | 53.1% | 339 | 180 | |
| Cavadi, Michelle D. | GREENSBORO | 53.0% | 328 | 174 | |
| Booth, Joseph | GREENSBORO | 51.7% | 348 | 180 | |
| McCoy, Nancy | CHARLOTTE | 50.8% | 321 | 163 | |
| Firestone, Scott | GREENSBORO | 50.0% | 126 | 63 | |
| Droker, Robert | JACKSONVILLE | 48.7% | 158 | 77 | |
| Williams, James E | RALEIGH | 48.6% | 333 | 162 | |
| Finnie, Michael | FRANKLIN TN | 47.8% | 203 | 97 | |
| Ofori-Acquaah, Anne-Marie | RALEIGH | 45.1% | 355 | 160 | |
| Weaver, Cynthia | ATLANTA NORTH | 42.5% | 120 | 51 | |
| Willis, Christopher | FAYETTEVILLE NC | 41.9% | 413 | 173 | |
| Poulos, Susan | CHARLOTTE | 38.8% | 219 | 85 |
Next step
Estimate approval odds
See SSA historical approval base rates for a North Carolina claim by condition, age, and stage.