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Updated July 2026 · SSA Public
State Profile
South Carolina
SC · Region ATL
DDS approval rate
40.3%
+0.5 pts vs national
DDS approval rate
40.3%
National: 39.8%
3-year change
+4.4 pts
Annual receipts
33,137
FY2024
Hearing offices
4
43 ALJs
Latest monthly DDS data · 2026-07
Initial receipts
4,073
Initial determinations
3,217
Initial allowance rate
37.7%
Initial pending
20,112
Recon determinations
1,815
Recon allowance rate
17.7%
Hearing offices in South Carolina
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLESTON SC | 7 | 225 | 1,856 | 48.4% | 5 |
| GREENVILLE | 14 | 233 | 2,562 | 66.2% | 9 |
| FLORENCE | 25 | 237 | 1,400 | 47.2% | 6 |
| COLUMBIA SC | 57 | 249 | 2,426 | 62.7% | 27 |
ALJs in South Carolina (43)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naylor, Amy | MONTGOMERY | 83.3% | 323 | 269 | |
| Jones, Stephanie M | KNOXVILLE | 79.1% | 129 | 102 | |
| Dixon III, Andrew | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 78.6% | 117 | 92 | |
| Grounds, Sonya | COVINGTON GA | 77.1% | 157 | 121 | |
| Craven, Amanda | GREENVILLE | 76.2% | 412 | 314 | |
| Rideout, Robert | RALEIGH | 70.8% | 154 | 109 | |
| Lappin, Randi E | CHATTANOOGA | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | |
| Messina, Christopher | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | |
| Shoenholz, Jonathan T. | COLUMBIA SC | 70.1% | 422 | 296 | |
| Bumgarner, Ashley | COLUMBIA SC | 69.4% | 186 | 129 | |
| Herin, Walter Cary | COLUMBIA SC | 69.3% | 280 | 194 | |
| Selland, R. Dirk | CHARLOTTE | 69.1% | 162 | 112 | |
| Hall, Brandie | LOUISVILLE | 68.4% | 206 | 141 | |
| Martin, James | GREENVILLE | 68.2% | 393 | 268 | |
| Gray, Stacy | FLORENCE | 66.9% | 172 | 115 | |
| Hess, Thaddeus J. | GREENVILLE | 66.2% | 468 | 310 | |
| Dail, Grant | ATLANTA DOWNTOWN | 66.2% | 231 | 153 | |
| Daniels, Christopher R | COLUMBIA SC | 65.3% | 199 | 130 | |
| Diggs, William P | CHARLESTON SC | 64.8% | 432 | 280 | |
| Petri, Julie | GREENVILLE | 63.9% | 371 | 237 | |
| Silva, Mario | FORT MYERS FL | 61.5% | 13 | 8 | |
| Capece, Anthony | GREENVILLE | 57.6% | 191 | 110 | |
| Healy, Philip | CHARLESTON SC | 57.5% | 193 | 111 | |
| Forbes-Schmitt, Nicole S | CHARLESTON SC | 57.4% | 338 | 194 | |
| Fritz, Colin | GREENVILLE | 56.8% | 243 | 138 | |
| Lewis, Jason A. | FLORENCE | 55.9% | 195 | 109 | |
| Renfroe, Mary M. | KINGSPORT | 55.6% | 198 | 110 | |
| Hill, Vincent | MACON | 55.4% | 148 | 82 | |
| Williams, Lori J. | FLORENCE | 55.3% | 342 | 189 | |
| Spangler, Todd | KNOXVILLE | 52.7% | 201 | 106 | |
| Monahan, Camille | MEMPHIS | 50.8% | 124 | 63 | |
| Droker, Robert | JACKSONVILLE | 48.7% | 158 | 77 | |
| Watson, Carl Bennett | CHARLESTON SC | 48.6% | 323 | 157 | |
| Vineyard, Joshua L. | COLUMBIA SC | 47.8% | 341 | 163 | |
| Finnie, Michael | FRANKLIN TN | 47.8% | 203 | 97 | |
| Elkin, Paul | COLUMBIA SC | 45.2% | 104 | 47 | |
| Grimes, James K. | FLORENCE | 44.6% | 381 | 170 | |
| Weaver, Cynthia | ATLANTA NORTH | 42.5% | 120 | 51 | |
| Pustizzi, Jennifer | FT LAUDERDALE | 42.2% | 199 | 84 | |
| Richey, Mallette | FLORENCE | 38.5% | 366 | 141 | |
| Digby, Patrick R. | FLORENCE | 36.8% | 353 | 130 | |
| Georgian, Tammy | CHARLESTON SC | 14.2% | 352 | 50 | |
| Cumbie, James | GREENVILLE | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
Next step
Estimate approval odds
See SSA historical approval base rates for a South Carolina claim by condition, age, and stage.