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Updated June 2026 · SSA Public
State Profile
Tennessee
TN · Region ATL
DDS approval rate
33.7%
-6.1 pts vs national
DDS approval rate
33.7%
National: 39.8%
3-year change
-1.4 pts
Annual receipts
49,446
FY2024
Hearing offices
6
47 ALJs
Latest monthly DDS data · 2026-06
Initial receipts
4,373
Initial determinations
4,017
Initial allowance rate
31.9%
Initial pending
28,657
Recon determinations
1,148
Recon allowance rate
14.5%
Hearing offices in Tennessee
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KINGSPORT | 9 | 229 | 2,234 | 56.0% | 8 |
| FRANKLIN TN | 19 | 235 | 2,851 | 55.7% | 11 |
| NASHVILLE | 25 | 237 | 1,466 | 57.5% | 4 |
| KNOXVILLE | 102 | 268 | 1,672 | 46.9% | 7 |
| CHATTANOOGA | 108 | 271 | 2,189 | 66.6% | 9 |
| MEMPHIS | 135 | 289 | 2,090 | 60.1% | 9 |
ALJs in Tennessee (47)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McHenry, Laura | ATLANTA DOWNTOWN | 89.8% | 127 | 114 | |
| Case, John | CHATTANOOGA | 86.8% | 333 | 289 | |
| Thompson, Michelle | LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN | 86.6% | 298 | 258 | |
| Hogan, Gentry C.M. | KINGSPORT | 76.2% | 101 | 77 | |
| Jones, Stephanie M | KNOXVILLE | 75.2% | 109 | 82 | |
| Roberts-Reap, Linda Gail | FRANKLIN TN | 73.2% | 265 | 194 | |
| Pilkey, Keith C | KINGSPORT | 71.0% | 379 | 269 | |
| Reap, J. Dennis | FRANKLIN TN | 70.6% | 337 | 238 | |
| Lappin, Randi E | CHATTANOOGA | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | |
| Andrews-Turner, Renee S | NASHVILLE | 70.1% | 314 | 220 | |
| Dail, Grant | ATLANTA DOWNTOWN | 67.5% | 191 | 129 | |
| Morgan, Kerry | FRANKLIN TN | 66.0% | 303 | 200 | |
| Willis, David | MEMPHIS | 65.3% | 121 | 79 | |
| Howard, Charles R. | KINGSPORT | 65.0% | 374 | 243 | |
| Turner, Marty | PADUCAH | 64.1% | 368 | 236 | |
| Dixon, James | KNOXVILLE | 63.2% | 253 | 160 | |
| BENEDICT, LAUREN LOGAN | CHATTANOOGA | 60.9% | 284 | 173 | |
| Kliner, Wesley R | CHATTANOOGA | 60.8% | 51 | 31 | |
| Pietrangelo, Angele | NASHVILLE | 60.8% | 316 | 192 | |
| Pottinger, John A. | KINGSPORT | 60.7% | 356 | 216 | |
| Hodum, Robert | MEMPHIS | 58.4% | 298 | 174 | |
| Daughtry, John | FRANKLIN TN | 58.1% | 339 | 197 | |
| Peebles, John | MEMPHIS | 57.4% | 296 | 170 | |
| Luffman-Minor, Kristie | CHATTANOOGA | 57.4% | 256 | 147 | |
| Renfroe, Mary M. | KINGSPORT | 56.6% | 175 | 99 | |
| Dougherty, Brian | FRANKLIN TN | 56.2% | 308 | 173 | |
| Lewis, Jason A. | FLORENCE | 55.9% | 195 | 109 | |
| Lang, Jerry | MEMPHIS | 54.9% | 246 | 135 | |
| Thomas, Jennifer | NASHVILLE | 54.8% | 345 | 189 | |
| Spangler, Todd | KNOXVILLE | 54.1% | 159 | 86 | |
| Morehead, Suhirjahaan | CHATTANOOGA | 51.8% | 247 | 128 | |
| Shimer, Scott | FRANKLIN TN | 51.6% | 345 | 178 | |
| Monahan, Camille | MEMPHIS | 50.9% | 116 | 59 | |
| Firestone, Scott | GREENSBORO | 50.0% | 118 | 59 | |
| Barber, Robin | KINGSPORT | 47.2% | 212 | 100 | |
| Martin, Robert | NASHVILLE | 46.4% | 358 | 166 | |
| Finnie, Michael | FRANKLIN TN | 46.3% | 177 | 82 | |
| Burton, Benjamin | KINGSPORT | 44.3% | 212 | 94 | |
| Jones, Lyle | MEMPHIS | 44.1% | 59 | 26 | |
| Neuhoff, Elizabeth | FRANKLIN TN | 43.1% | 267 | 115 | |
| Eddins-Hill, Rosalind | MEMPHIS | 38.3% | 60 | 23 | |
| Bowling, Robert B | LEXINGTON | 37.8% | 119 | 45 | |
| Suttles, Gary | FRANKLIN TN | 35.9% | 78 | 28 | |
| Grissom, K Dickson | KNOXVILLE | 33.3% | 6 | 2 | |
| Battles, Brian | KINGSPORT | 29.5% | 319 | 94 | |
| Heath, Shannon | FRANKLIN TN | 25.7% | 296 | 76 | |
| Francis, Joyce | KNOXVILLE | 12.0% | 233 | 28 |
Next step
Estimate approval odds
See SSA historical approval base rates for a Tennessee claim by condition, age, and stage.