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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
51 ALJs
Latest monthly DDS data · 2026-03
Initial receipts
7,615
Initial determinations
6,971
Initial allowance rate
36.4%
Initial pending
18,373
Recon determinations
2,080
Recon allowance rate
13.0%
Hearing offices in Pennsylvania
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEVEN FIELDS | 50 | 246 | 2,389 | 70.1% | 6 |
| JOHNSTOWN | 75 | 256 | 878 | 54.9% | 3 |
| PHILADELPHIA | 98 | 265 | 1,444 | 56.0% | 4 |
| ELKINS PARK | 110 | 272 | 3,799 | 60.9% | 10 |
| WILKES BARRE | 116 | 275 | 4,478 | 44.1% | 11 |
| PITTSBURGH | 119 | 278 | 2,719 | 50.3% | 7 |
| HARRISBURG | 127 | 282 | 2,210 | 44.3% | 6 |
| PHILADELPHIA EAST | 139 | 291 | 917 | 54.5% | 6 |
ALJs in Pennsylvania (51)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grovich, Christopher P. | SEVEN FIELDS | 81.0% | 289 | 234 | |
| Schwarz, Eric | ELKINS PARK | 76.8% | 237 | 182 | |
| Kooser, John | SEVEN FIELDS | 76.8% | 323 | 248 | |
| Gauffreau, Stuart | ELKINS PARK | 74.1% | 297 | 220 | |
| Preston, Susan | MORGANTOWN | 72.0% | 186 | 134 | |
| Tenenbaum, Melissa | SEVEN FIELDS | 71.7% | 159 | 114 | |
| Wishnoff, Howard | PHILADELPHIA EAST | 71.4% | 196 | 140 | |
| Cohen, Douglas | SEVEN FIELDS | 68.0% | 281 | 191 | |
| Borda, Eric | PHILADELPHIA | 67.8% | 177 | 120 | |
| Carter, Brady | ELKINS PARK | 67.7% | 254 | 172 | |
| Grunberg, Hope | PHILADELPHIA EAST | 66.7% | 3 | 2 | |
| Morales Price, Sandra | ELKINS PARK | 65.1% | 218 | 142 | |
| Wood, Brian | SEVEN FIELDS | 64.7% | 317 | 205 | |
| Hostovich, Julianne | PITTSBURGH | 62.3% | 146 | 91 | |
| Papazekos, Joanna | PITTSBURGH | 62.0% | 187 | 116 | |
| Goods, Raina | PHILADELPHIA | 60.8% | 278 | 169 | |
| Kleeb, Kelli J. | SEVEN FIELDS | 60.8% | 339 | 206 | |
| Hardiman, Therese A. | WILKES BARRE | 60.3% | 156 | 94 | |
| Silverman, Marc | ELKINS PARK | 59.2% | 240 | 142 | |
| Ehasz, Sarah | PITTSBURGH | 58.5% | 241 | 141 | |
| Powers, Erin | JOHNSTOWN | 57.7% | 336 | 194 | |
| Gabell, Margaret M | ELKINS PARK | 57.0% | 265 | 151 | |
| Bozarth, Shawn | HARRISBURG | 55.1% | 158 | 87 | |
| Lash, Jennifer M. | ELKINS PARK | 54.6% | 163 | 89 | |
| Begley, David | WASHINGTON | 54.4% | 114 | 62 | |
| Brady, Edward L. | WILKES BARRE | 54.3% | 300 | 163 | |
| Hollo, Elana | ELKINS PARK | 54.3% | 269 | 146 | |
| Wing, Timothy | WILKES BARRE | 53.4% | 290 | 155 | |
| Dominick, Charles A. | WILKES BARRE | 52.6% | 293 | 154 | |
| Johnson, Jessica Marie | PHILADELPHIA | 52.4% | 166 | 87 | |
| Oleyar, Mike | WILKES BARRE | 52.0% | 177 | 92 | |
| Cutter, Patrick | HARRISBURG | 51.9% | 237 | 123 | |
| Staller, Scott M | HARRISBURG | 51.5% | 305 | 157 | |
| Kaczmarek, Michael | PITTSBURGH | 50.4% | 232 | 117 | |
| Spector, Jennifer | ELKINS PARK | 49.6% | 272 | 135 | |
| Woltering, Luke | ELKINS PARK | 49.0% | 261 | 128 | |
| Reaves, Tiesh | JOHNSTOWN | 47.9% | 288 | 138 | |
| Langan, Gerard W. | WILKES BARRE | 47.9% | 282 | 135 | |
| Kovac, Paul | PITTSBURGH | 46.6% | 251 | 117 | |
| Ryan, Robert J. | PHILADELPHIA | 45.9% | 283 | 130 | |
| Watson, Nycole | PHILADELPHIA EAST | 44.7% | 170 | 76 | |
| Kauffman, Howard | HARRISBURG | 44.3% | 318 | 141 | |
| Stolls, Michele | WILKES BARRE | 44.0% | 277 | 122 | |
| Barletta, Frank | WILKES BARRE | 42.6% | 289 | 123 | |
| Bareford, Christian | PITTSBURGH | 42.6% | 235 | 100 | |
| Lazzaro, Michele | PHILADELPHIA EAST | 39.3% | 303 | 119 | |
| Tranguch, Jarrod | WILKES BARRE | 35.7% | 280 | 100 | |
| Perry-Dowdell, Leslie | PITTSBURGH | 29.7% | 155 | 46 | |
| Balutis, Daniel | WILKES BARRE | 25.8% | 213 | 55 | |
| Guida, Richard | HARRISBURG | 23.8% | 332 | 79 |
Showing the top 50 of 51 judges.
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See SSA historical approval base rates for a Pennsylvania claim by condition, age, and stage.