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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 · 2026-03
Initial receipts
4,583
Initial determinations
3,923
Initial allowance rate
34.1%
Initial pending
28,062
Recon determinations
1,039
Recon allowance rate
14.5%
Hearing offices in Tennessee
| Office | Rank | Processing days | Pending | Approval | Judges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KINGSPORT | 9 | 227 | 2,106 | 56.2% | 8 |
| FRANKLIN TN | 21 | 234 | 2,711 | 56.0% | 11 |
| NASHVILLE | 21 | 234 | 1,451 | 58.9% | 4 |
| KNOXVILLE | 101 | 267 | 1,569 | 48.0% | 6 |
| CHATTANOOGA | 110 | 272 | 2,117 | 66.5% | 9 |
| MEMPHIS | 136 | 289 | 1,964 | 59.3% | 9 |
ALJs in Tennessee (47)
Sorted by approval rate.
| Judge | Office | Approval | Decisions | Awards | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McHenry, Laura | ATLANTA DOWNTOWN | 89.8% | 127 | 114 | |
| Thompson, Michelle | LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN | 87.3% | 245 | 214 | |
| Case, John | CHATTANOOGA | 86.3% | 293 | 253 | |
| Hogan, Gentry C.M. | KINGSPORT | 75.8% | 95 | 72 | |
| Jones, Stephanie M | KNOXVILLE | 74.7% | 83 | 62 | |
| Roberts-Reap, Linda Gail | FRANKLIN TN | 72.8% | 232 | 169 | |
| Pilkey, Keith C | KINGSPORT | 71.3% | 356 | 254 | |
| Reap, J. Dennis | FRANKLIN TN | 71.3% | 293 | 209 | |
| Andrews-Turner, Renee S | NASHVILLE | 70.8% | 281 | 199 | |
| Lappin, Randi E | CHATTANOOGA | 70.5% | 44 | 31 | |
| Dail, Grant | ATLANTA DOWNTOWN | 68.3% | 167 | 114 | |
| Morgan, Kerry | FRANKLIN TN | 66.4% | 271 | 180 | |
| Willis, David | MEMPHIS | 65.5% | 113 | 74 | |
| Howard, Charles R. | KINGSPORT | 65.3% | 331 | 216 | |
| Turner, Marty | PADUCAH | 65.1% | 332 | 216 | |
| Dixon, James | KNOXVILLE | 63.8% | 221 | 141 | |
| Pottinger, John A. | KINGSPORT | 61.7% | 311 | 192 | |
| Pietrangelo, Angele | NASHVILLE | 61.3% | 279 | 171 | |
| BENEDICT, LAUREN LOGAN | CHATTANOOGA | 61.0% | 251 | 153 | |
| Kliner, Wesley R | CHATTANOOGA | 60.8% | 51 | 31 | |
| Hodum, Robert | MEMPHIS | 58.7% | 281 | 165 | |
| Daughtry, John | FRANKLIN TN | 58.5% | 299 | 175 | |
| Thomas, Jennifer | NASHVILLE | 57.3% | 309 | 177 | |
| Luffman-Minor, Kristie | CHATTANOOGA | 56.6% | 221 | 125 | |
| Dougherty, Brian | FRANKLIN TN | 56.2% | 276 | 155 | |
| Lewis, Jason A. | FLORENCE | 55.9% | 195 | 109 | |
| Peebles, John | MEMPHIS | 55.8% | 258 | 144 | |
| Renfroe, Mary M. | KINGSPORT | 55.6% | 151 | 84 | |
| Spangler, Todd | KNOXVILLE | 54.7% | 128 | 70 | |
| Lang, Jerry | MEMPHIS | 54.4% | 215 | 117 | |
| Firestone, Scott | GREENSBORO | 52.4% | 103 | 54 | |
| Shimer, Scott | FRANKLIN TN | 51.7% | 302 | 156 | |
| Morehead, Suhirjahaan | CHATTANOOGA | 51.6% | 223 | 115 | |
| Monahan, Camille | MEMPHIS | 50.5% | 101 | 51 | |
| Martin, Robert | NASHVILLE | 47.8% | 316 | 151 | |
| Barber, Robin | KINGSPORT | 47.7% | 174 | 83 | |
| Finnie, Michael | FRANKLIN TN | 46.6% | 148 | 69 | |
| Burton, Benjamin | KINGSPORT | 44.7% | 206 | 92 | |
| Neuhoff, Elizabeth | FRANKLIN TN | 44.5% | 236 | 105 | |
| Jones, Lyle | MEMPHIS | 44.1% | 59 | 26 | |
| Eddins-Hill, Rosalind | MEMPHIS | 38.3% | 60 | 23 | |
| Bowling, Robert B | LEXINGTON | 36.5% | 104 | 38 | |
| Suttles, Gary | FRANKLIN TN | 35.9% | 78 | 28 | |
| Grissom, K Dickson | KNOXVILLE | 33.3% | 6 | 2 | |
| Battles, Brian | KINGSPORT | 28.5% | 291 | 83 | |
| Heath, Shannon | FRANKLIN TN | 26.4% | 269 | 71 | |
| Francis, Joyce | KNOXVILLE | 10.8% | 186 | 20 |
Next step
Estimate approval odds
See SSA historical approval base rates for a Tennessee claim by condition, age, and stage.