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Updated July 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
49 ALJs
Latest monthly DDS data · 2026-07
Initial receipts
5,611
Initial determinations
4,392
Initial allowance rate
35.2%
Initial pending
29,609
Recon determinations
1,355
Recon allowance rate
14.0%
Hearing offices in Tennessee
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KINGSPORT | 9 | 229 | 2,234 | 55.9% | 8 |
| FRANKLIN TN | 19 | 235 | 2,851 | 55.8% | 11 |
| NASHVILLE | 25 | 237 | 1,466 | 56.5% | 4 |
| KNOXVILLE | 102 | 268 | 1,672 | 47.6% | 7 |
| CHATTANOOGA | 108 | 271 | 2,189 | 67.5% | 9 |
| MEMPHIS | 135 | 289 | 2,090 | 60.5% | 11 |
ALJs in Tennessee (49)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case, John | CHATTANOOGA | 87.0% | 384 | 334 | |
| Thompson, Michelle | LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN | 86.6% | 328 | 284 | |
| McHenry, Laura | CHATTANOOGA | 86.3% | 182 | 157 | |
| Jones, Stephanie M | KNOXVILLE | 79.1% | 129 | 102 | |
| Hogan, Gentry C.M. | KINGSPORT | 77.5% | 111 | 86 | |
| Roberts-Reap, Linda Gail | FRANKLIN TN | 74.9% | 303 | 227 | |
| Lappin, Randi E | CHATTANOOGA | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | |
| Messina, Christopher | ST PETERSBURG FL OHO | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | |
| Reap, J. Dennis | FRANKLIN TN | 70.3% | 384 | 270 | |
| Pilkey, Keith C | KINGSPORT | 70.2% | 440 | 309 | |
| Andrews-Turner, Renee S | NASHVILLE | 69.8% | 351 | 245 | |
| Dail, Grant | ATLANTA DOWNTOWN | 66.2% | 231 | 153 | |
| Morgan, Kerry | FRANKLIN TN | 65.7% | 344 | 226 | |
| Willis, David | MEMPHIS | 65.6% | 128 | 84 | |
| Howard, Charles R. | KINGSPORT | 64.8% | 415 | 269 | |
| Turner, Marty | PADUCAH | 63.5% | 417 | 265 | |
| Dixon, James | KNOXVILLE | 63.0% | 289 | 182 | |
| BENEDICT, LAUREN LOGAN | CHATTANOOGA | 62.7% | 327 | 205 | |
| Pottinger, John A. | KINGSPORT | 61.7% | 399 | 246 | |
| Kliner, Wesley R | CHATTANOOGA | 60.8% | 51 | 31 | |
| Waller, Robert | SPECIAL REVIEW CADRE | 60.7% | 61 | 37 | |
| Pietrangelo, Angele | NASHVILLE | 60.4% | 356 | 215 | |
| Hodum, Robert | MEMPHIS | 58.8% | 340 | 200 | |
| Daughtry, John | FRANKLIN TN | 58.8% | 369 | 217 | |
| Luffman-Minor, Kristie | CHATTANOOGA | 57.3% | 295 | 169 | |
| Peebles, John | MEMPHIS | 56.9% | 334 | 190 | |
| Dougherty, Brian | FRANKLIN TN | 56.6% | 339 | 192 | |
| Lewis, Jason A. | FLORENCE | 55.9% | 195 | 109 | |
| Renfroe, Mary M. | KINGSPORT | 55.6% | 198 | 110 | |
| Lang, Jerry | MEMPHIS | 54.3% | 276 | 150 | |
| Morehead, Suhirjahaan | CHATTANOOGA | 54.1% | 268 | 145 | |
| Thomas, Jennifer | NASHVILLE | 53.0% | 394 | 209 | |
| Spangler, Todd | KNOXVILLE | 52.7% | 201 | 106 | |
| Shimer, Scott | FRANKLIN TN | 51.3% | 378 | 194 | |
| Monahan, Camille | MEMPHIS | 50.8% | 124 | 63 | |
| Firestone, Scott | GREENSBORO | 50.0% | 126 | 63 | |
| Finnie, Michael | FRANKLIN TN | 47.8% | 203 | 97 | |
| Barber, Robin | KINGSPORT | 45.3% | 256 | 116 | |
| Martin, Robert | NASHVILLE | 44.7% | 394 | 176 | |
| Burton, Benjamin | KINGSPORT | 44.1% | 213 | 94 | |
| Jones, Lyle | MEMPHIS | 44.1% | 59 | 26 | |
| Neuhoff, Elizabeth | FRANKLIN TN | 42.5% | 308 | 131 | |
| Bowling, Robert B | LEXINGTON | 39.8% | 133 | 53 | |
| Eddins-Hill, Rosalind | MEMPHIS | 38.3% | 60 | 23 | |
| Suttles, Gary | FRANKLIN TN | 35.9% | 78 | 28 | |
| Grissom, K Dickson | KNOXVILLE | 33.3% | 6 | 2 | |
| Battles, Brian | KINGSPORT | 30.0% | 363 | 109 | |
| Heath, Shannon | FRANKLIN TN | 25.2% | 337 | 85 | |
| Francis, Joyce | KNOXVILLE | 12.7% | 259 | 33 |
Next step
Estimate approval odds
See SSA historical approval base rates for a Tennessee claim by condition, age, and stage.