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Updated June 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 · 2026-03
Initial receipts
3,349
Initial determinations
2,570
Initial allowance rate
39.9%
Initial pending
17,225
Recon determinations
1,502
Recon allowance rate
15.5%
Hearing offices in South Carolina
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLESTON SC | 5 | 224 | 1,795 | 48.9% | 5 |
| GREENVILLE | 14 | 232 | 2,443 | 66.7% | 9 |
| FLORENCE | 27 | 237 | 1,470 | 47.5% | 6 |
| COLUMBIA SC | 53 | 247 | 2,332 | 62.2% | 27 |
ALJs in South Carolina (43)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naylor, Amy | MONTGOMERY | 82.1% | 240 | 197 | |
| Dixon III, Andrew | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 80.3% | 76 | 61 | |
| Grounds, Sonya | COVINGTON GA | 78.6% | 112 | 88 | |
| Craven, Amanda | GREENVILLE | 78.0% | 341 | 266 | |
| Jones, Stephanie M | KNOXVILLE | 74.7% | 83 | 62 | |
| Herin, Walter Cary | COLUMBIA SC | 70.9% | 213 | 151 | |
| Lappin, Randi E | CHATTANOOGA | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | |
| Messina, Christopher | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 69.4% | 36 | 25 | |
| Shoenholz, Jonathan T. | COLUMBIA SC | 69.4% | 363 | 252 | |
| Bumgarner, Ashley | COLUMBIA SC | 69.4% | 186 | 129 | |
| Martin, James | GREENVILLE | 68.9% | 305 | 210 | |
| Selland, R. Dirk | CHARLOTTE | 68.8% | 128 | 88 | |
| Dail, Grant | ATLANTA DOWNTOWN | 68.3% | 167 | 114 | |
| Hall, Brandie | LOUISVILLE | 67.9% | 140 | 95 | |
| Rideout, Robert | RALEIGH | 67.8% | 115 | 78 | |
| Hess, Thaddeus J. | GREENVILLE | 66.9% | 381 | 255 | |
| Gray, Stacy | FLORENCE | 66.9% | 130 | 87 | |
| Diggs, William P | CHARLESTON SC | 65.8% | 354 | 233 | |
| Daniels, Christopher R | COLUMBIA SC | 65.3% | 199 | 130 | |
| Petri, Julie | GREENVILLE | 64.5% | 296 | 191 | |
| Silva, Mario | FORT MYERS FL | 61.5% | 13 | 8 | |
| Forbes-Schmitt, Nicole S | CHARLESTON SC | 59.4% | 261 | 155 | |
| Capece, Anthony | COLUMBIA SC | 58.7% | 189 | 111 | |
| Healy, Philip | CHARLESTON SC | 58.6% | 133 | 78 | |
| Williams, Lori J. | FLORENCE | 58.0% | 257 | 149 | |
| Fritz, Colin | GREENVILLE | 57.0% | 242 | 138 | |
| Lewis, Jason A. | FLORENCE | 55.9% | 195 | 109 | |
| Hill, Vincent | MACON | 55.7% | 106 | 59 | |
| Renfroe, Mary M. | KINGSPORT | 55.6% | 151 | 84 | |
| Spangler, Todd | KNOXVILLE | 54.7% | 128 | 70 | |
| Monahan, Camille | MEMPHIS | 50.5% | 101 | 51 | |
| Vineyard, Joshua L. | COLUMBIA SC | 47.1% | 272 | 128 | |
| Watson, Carl Bennett | CHARLESTON SC | 47.0% | 249 | 117 | |
| Finnie, Michael | FRANKLIN TN | 46.6% | 148 | 69 | |
| Droker, Robert | JACKSONVILLE | 46.6% | 118 | 55 | |
| Elkin, Paul | COLUMBIA SC | 45.2% | 104 | 47 | |
| Grimes, James K. | FLORENCE | 43.8% | 304 | 133 | |
| Pustizzi, Jennifer | FT LAUDERDALE | 43.2% | 169 | 73 | |
| Richey, Mallette | FLORENCE | 39.2% | 296 | 116 | |
| Digby, Patrick R. | FLORENCE | 34.9% | 255 | 89 | |
| Weaver, Cynthia | ATLANTA NORTH | 34.8% | 92 | 32 | |
| Georgian, Tammy | CHARLESTON SC | 14.0% | 272 | 38 | |
| 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.