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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 · 2026-06
Initial receipts
3,418
Initial determinations
2,492
Initial allowance rate
41.4%
Initial pending
19,494
Recon determinations
1,457
Recon allowance rate
19.6%
Hearing offices in South Carolina
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHARLESTON SC | 7 | 225 | 1,856 | 48.8% | 5 |
| GREENVILLE | 14 | 233 | 2,562 | 66.4% | 9 |
| FLORENCE | 25 | 237 | 1,400 | 47.6% | 6 |
| COLUMBIA SC | 57 | 249 | 2,426 | 62.5% | 27 |
ALJs in South Carolina (43)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naylor, Amy | MONTGOMERY | 81.9% | 282 | 231 | |
| Dixon III, Andrew | TALLAHASSEE FL OHO | 80.2% | 101 | 81 | |
| Grounds, Sonya | COVINGTON GA | 78.4% | 125 | 98 | |
| Craven, Amanda | GREENVILLE | 76.9% | 373 | 287 | |
| Jones, Stephanie M | KNOXVILLE | 75.2% | 109 | 82 | |
| Rideout, Robert | RALEIGH | 70.6% | 143 | 101 | |
| Herin, Walter Cary | COLUMBIA SC | 70.6% | 245 | 173 | |
| Lappin, Randi E | CHATTANOOGA | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | |
| Messina, Christopher | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 70.0% | 40 | 28 | |
| Selland, R. Dirk | CHARLOTTE | 69.7% | 152 | 106 | |
| Shoenholz, Jonathan T. | COLUMBIA SC | 69.5% | 387 | 269 | |
| Bumgarner, Ashley | COLUMBIA SC | 69.4% | 186 | 129 | |
| Martin, James | GREENVILLE | 68.3% | 347 | 237 | |
| Dail, Grant | ATLANTA DOWNTOWN | 67.5% | 191 | 129 | |
| Hall, Brandie | LOUISVILLE | 67.3% | 171 | 115 | |
| Gray, Stacy | FLORENCE | 66.7% | 150 | 100 | |
| Hess, Thaddeus J. | GREENVILLE | 66.0% | 420 | 277 | |
| Daniels, Christopher R | COLUMBIA SC | 65.3% | 199 | 130 | |
| Diggs, William P | CHARLESTON SC | 65.3% | 395 | 258 | |
| Petri, Julie | GREENVILLE | 64.0% | 336 | 215 | |
| Silva, Mario | FORT MYERS FL | 61.5% | 13 | 8 | |
| Healy, Philip | CHARLESTON SC | 60.1% | 153 | 92 | |
| Capece, Anthony | COLUMBIA SC | 58.7% | 189 | 111 | |
| Hill, Vincent | MACON | 57.4% | 122 | 70 | |
| Forbes-Schmitt, Nicole S | CHARLESTON SC | 57.2% | 297 | 170 | |
| Williams, Lori J. | FLORENCE | 56.8% | 294 | 167 | |
| Fritz, Colin | GREENVILLE | 56.8% | 243 | 138 | |
| Renfroe, Mary M. | KINGSPORT | 56.6% | 175 | 99 | |
| Lewis, Jason A. | FLORENCE | 55.9% | 195 | 109 | |
| Spangler, Todd | KNOXVILLE | 54.1% | 159 | 86 | |
| Monahan, Camille | MEMPHIS | 50.9% | 116 | 59 | |
| Droker, Robert | JACKSONVILLE | 48.2% | 139 | 67 | |
| Vineyard, Joshua L. | COLUMBIA SC | 48.0% | 300 | 144 | |
| Watson, Carl Bennett | CHARLESTON SC | 47.8% | 278 | 133 | |
| Finnie, Michael | FRANKLIN TN | 46.3% | 177 | 82 | |
| Elkin, Paul | COLUMBIA SC | 45.2% | 104 | 47 | |
| Grimes, James K. | FLORENCE | 44.3% | 334 | 148 | |
| Pustizzi, Jennifer | FT LAUDERDALE | 41.5% | 188 | 78 | |
| Richey, Mallette | FLORENCE | 39.2% | 329 | 129 | |
| Weaver, Cynthia | ATLANTA NORTH | 37.6% | 101 | 38 | |
| Digby, Patrick R. | FLORENCE | 36.6% | 298 | 109 | |
| Georgian, Tammy | CHARLESTON SC | 13.9% | 302 | 42 | |
| 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.