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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public
State Profile
Pennsylvania
PA · Region PHL
DDS approval rate
38.0%
-1.8 pts vs national
DDS approval rate
38.0%
National: 39.8%
3-year change
-0.5 pts
Annual receipts
83,847
FY2024
Hearing offices
8
52 ALJs
Latest monthly DDS data · 2026-06
Initial receipts
7,259
Initial determinations
7,057
Initial allowance rate
38.9%
Initial pending
18,337
Recon determinations
1,469
Recon allowance rate
15.1%
Hearing offices in Pennsylvania
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEVEN FIELDS | 49 | 247 | 2,320 | 70.4% | 6 |
| JOHNSTOWN | 81 | 258 | 926 | 55.0% | 3 |
| PHILADELPHIA | 99 | 265 | 1,545 | 56.3% | 4 |
| ELKINS PARK | 110 | 272 | 3,949 | 61.0% | 11 |
| WILKES BARRE | 116 | 275 | 4,257 | 44.3% | 11 |
| HARRISBURG | 123 | 281 | 2,228 | 44.5% | 6 |
| PITTSBURGH | 123 | 281 | 2,745 | 49.8% | 7 |
| PHILADELPHIA EAST | 139 | 293 | 942 | 54.9% | 6 |
ALJs in Pennsylvania (52)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grovich, Christopher P. | SEVEN FIELDS | 80.5% | 329 | 265 | |
| Schwarz, Eric | ELKINS PARK | 76.6% | 274 | 210 | |
| Kooser, John | SEVEN FIELDS | 76.6% | 354 | 271 | |
| Gauffreau, Stuart | ELKINS PARK | 74.6% | 334 | 249 | |
| Tenenbaum, Melissa | SEVEN FIELDS | 73.5% | 185 | 136 | |
| Wishnoff, Howard | PHILADELPHIA EAST | 71.5% | 221 | 158 | |
| Preston, Susan | MORGANTOWN | 71.5% | 228 | 163 | |
| Cohen, Douglas | SEVEN FIELDS | 68.7% | 319 | 219 | |
| Carter, Brady | ELKINS PARK | 68.0% | 297 | 202 | |
| Borda, Eric | PHILADELPHIA | 67.8% | 177 | 120 | |
| Grunberg, Hope | PHILADELPHIA EAST | 66.7% | 3 | 2 | |
| Wood, Brian | SEVEN FIELDS | 65.4% | 350 | 229 | |
| Morales Price, Sandra | ELKINS PARK | 65.3% | 248 | 162 | |
| Hostovich, Julianne | PITTSBURGH | 61.9% | 168 | 104 | |
| Goods, Raina | PHILADELPHIA | 61.2% | 304 | 186 | |
| Papazekos, Joanna | PITTSBURGH | 61.0% | 205 | 125 | |
| Kleeb, Kelli J. | SEVEN FIELDS | 59.9% | 364 | 218 | |
| Silverman, Marc | ELKINS PARK | 58.8% | 272 | 160 | |
| Powers, Erin | JOHNSTOWN | 58.2% | 373 | 217 | |
| Ehasz, Sarah | PITTSBURGH | 58.1% | 267 | 155 | |
| Hardiman, Therese A. | WILKES BARRE | 58.0% | 176 | 102 | |
| Gabell, Margaret M | ELKINS PARK | 57.0% | 293 | 167 | |
| Lash, Jennifer M. | ELKINS PARK | 54.3% | 173 | 94 | |
| Bozarth, Shawn | HARRISBURG | 54.2% | 190 | 103 | |
| Hollo, Elana | ELKINS PARK | 54.2% | 297 | 161 | |
| Begley, David | WASHINGTON | 53.9% | 141 | 76 | |
| Brady, Edward L. | WILKES BARRE | 53.4% | 339 | 181 | |
| Johnson, Jessica Marie | PHILADELPHIA | 52.9% | 174 | 92 | |
| Cutter, Patrick | HARRISBURG | 52.4% | 275 | 144 | |
| Dominick, Charles A. | WILKES BARRE | 52.3% | 325 | 170 | |
| Wing, Timothy | WILKES BARRE | 51.6% | 316 | 163 | |
| Benton, Amy | NHC ST LOUIS | 51.5% | 33 | 17 | |
| Oleyar, Mike | WILKES BARRE | 51.2% | 201 | 103 | |
| Staller, Scott M | HARRISBURG | 51.0% | 337 | 172 | |
| Kaczmarek, Michael | PITTSBURGH | 50.6% | 239 | 121 | |
| Spector, Jennifer | ELKINS PARK | 50.2% | 319 | 160 | |
| Woltering, Luke | ELKINS PARK | 50.0% | 284 | 142 | |
| Langan, Gerard W. | WILKES BARRE | 48.4% | 310 | 150 | |
| Reaves, Tiesh | JOHNSTOWN | 47.9% | 330 | 158 | |
| Ryan, Robert J. | PHILADELPHIA | 47.3% | 328 | 155 | |
| Stolls, Michele | WILKES BARRE | 46.2% | 327 | 151 | |
| Kovac, Paul | PITTSBURGH | 46.1% | 271 | 125 | |
| Watson, Nycole | PHILADELPHIA EAST | 45.1% | 195 | 88 | |
| Kauffman, Howard | HARRISBURG | 44.0% | 350 | 154 | |
| Barletta, Frank | WILKES BARRE | 43.2% | 333 | 144 | |
| Bareford, Christian | PITTSBURGH | 41.0% | 256 | 105 | |
| Lazzaro, Michele | PHILADELPHIA EAST | 39.7% | 345 | 137 | |
| Tranguch, Jarrod | WILKES BARRE | 37.4% | 313 | 117 | |
| Perry-Dowdell, Leslie | PITTSBURGH | 29.2% | 168 | 49 | |
| Balutis, Daniel | WILKES BARRE | 28.8% | 257 | 74 |
Showing the top 50 of 52 judges.
Next step
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See SSA historical approval base rates for a Pennsylvania claim by condition, age, and stage.