Judge Ratings for Boston MA Social Security Hearings (Oct 2024)
The Quality of Boston MA Social Security Hearing Judges
Bad news if you have a Social Security Disability Hearing in Boston! Boston MA Social Security Hearing Judges have way below average case approval ratings. Very bad! The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and as you can see from the table below, Boston MA Judges are far below average, namely 43%. It appears that Boston MA has two judges that have around 30% case approval rates. The good news, if you can call it that, is that those two judges bring down the overall average. The rest of the judges have pretty reasonable rates. Note: we don’t consider in our analysis those judges that have less than 50 dispositions (decisions plus dismissals), because as they get more dispositions their case approval rate usually changes dramatically.
This page is for Boston MA Social Security Hearings, in other words, for people who live in or near Attleboro, Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Dorchester, Fall River, Falmouth, Fitchburg, Framingham, Gardner, Hanover, Hyannis, Malden, or New Bedford. For other locations in Massachusetts click on:
Judge Ratings for Boston MA Social Security Hearings
Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your Boston MA Social Security Hearing for Disability or SSI scheduled in the Office of Hearing Operations (OHO)? Do you want to know everything you can about the where, why and how of the hearing itself? You’re not alone, most of our clients desperately want to know every detail of their Disability Hearing so that they have the best chance of winning. You might have a hearing in Boston MA if you have a Social Security Disability/SSI appeal and live in or near Attleboro, Boston, Brockton, Chelsea, Dorchester, Fall River, Falmouth, Fitchburg, Framingham, Gardner, Hanover, Hyannis, Malden, or New Bedford. The Boston MA Social Security Hearing office is in the Thomas O’Neill Federal Building on Causeway Street near Downtown Boston right next to the Boston Garden. Go Celts! You can find the name of your judge on a hearing scheduled notice or call the number for the hearing office (at the bottom of this page). Here are all the judges’ statistics and other information that you need, and if you’re looking for a Disability Lawyer serving Boston MA, don’t hesitate to call us or email us and we will evaluate your case for free.
Judges’ Statistics
The following table is up to date as of October 2024:
Judge | Percent Approved | Total Dispositions |
Bernasconi, Laura | 71% | 14 |
Devlin, Michael W | 69% | 16 |
Driscoll, Daniel J | 0% | 1 |
Hurley, Francis | 58% | 200 |
Klibaner, Alexander | 53% | 306 |
Martin, Paul G | 57% | 7 |
Masengill, Addison C | 73% | 11 |
Michalec Olszewski, Lau | 43% | 7 |
Molleur, John T | 60% | 5 |
Pantuso, Gina | 30% | 10 |
Ramsey, William | 49% | 169 |
Rodgers, Sujata | 30% | 509 |
Ross, William T | 51% | 301 |
Shillin, Beth | 14% | 7 |
Teehan, Sean | 32% | 287 |
Viera-Vargas, Angel X | 56% | 9 |
Totals | 43% | 1859 |
Social Security Disability Hearing Tip: If your case gets denied by the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) it is called an Unfavorable Decision, in other words the ALJ found you not disabled. If the ALJ finds you disabled, but disagrees with your Alleged Disability Onset date (the date when you claim you became disabled), it is called a Partially Favorable Decision. If the ALJ approves your case, or grants a Fully Favorable, then he or she has found you disabled and will award you all of the back pay you requested (provided you meet all of the non-medical program rules). A Disability Lawyer serving Boston MA, like us, can explain in more detail how the ALJ’s decision impacts your case and how a lawyer can help prepare you for the hearing. Contact us for a free consultation or more information.
Case Approval Rates of Boston MA Social Security Hearing Judges
The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and Boston MA Judges are at 43%. Still, many people have really good experiences, because some of the judges and staff genuinely care about other people. And many have very bad experiences in Boston because it still is Social Security, run by the government, which is a complete and utter mess. The judges there are doing the best they can. Do they get decisions wrong sometimes? Of course, they are human. Only those with very low case approval rates might be called biased.
For example, for Boston MA Social Security hearings, Administrative Law Judge Sujata Rodgers has the lowest case approval percentage at 30%. This rate is very low but still within reason. Judge Rodgers may just be very skeptical, and may not have a negative attitude towards claimants. Reasonable minds may differ, especially when it comes to Social Security Disability rules and how they apply to individual cases.
We can also see from the table that a total of two out of six of the Judges are around 30%, so there is a significant chance you will draw one of these judges. If you draw a judge with at or below 40% approval rate then you will need a very good case to win, usually with lots of medical evidence and an opinion from a medical expert that you are disabled. Make sure you get all of your relevant medical records and try to get a supporting letter from your doctor. To win with a judge at or under 40%, if you’re under age 50 you probably have to have a condition that stops you from working at all (not just part time) or being at least age 50 or over with a physical condition that prevents the ability to stand and walk almost all of the time. In both cases, you may lose if you have sedentary work experience. Click here to get more information about the rules, or a Disability Lawyer serving Boston MA, like us, can give you the information you need. Click here for a free case evaluation.
Where Will My Hearing Be Held?
Most hearings will be held by phone, the judge’s clerk will call your phone and place you in a conference call. The whole hearing will be held via conference call, it’s actually very efficient. If you have a lawyer the evidence is submitted electronically before the hearing.
If you don’t have a lawyer you’ll have to bring your evidence to the hearing office or mail it in. You can request an in-person hearing, but we don’t advise it. If you do have a in-person hearing or need to submit evidence, check the SSA hearing office locator website. The Boston MA Social Security Hearing office is in Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. Federal Building, 10 Causeway Street, 6th floor, Room 601
Boston, MA 02222. You’ll go through the metal detectors – don’t bring any weapons, even a pocket knife, or they won’t let you in. Then check in with the staff and wait to be called for your hearing. If you need to reach the Boston MA Social Security hearing office, also known as the Office of Hearing Operations, call (888) 870-7573.
What should I do if I need help with my hearing?
If you do not have a lawyer yet, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) presiding over your case will almost always give you a postponement to try to get a lawyer. These hearings are very difficult without a lawyer, and the ALJs rarely get the evidence they need unless a lawyer is involved. If you need a Disability Lawyer serving Boston MA, no matter what stage your case is in, call us or email us and we will evaluate your case for free.