Judge Ratings for Charleston SC Social Security Hearings (Oct 2024)
The Quality of Charleston SC Social Security Hearing Judges
Bad news if you have a hearing in Charleston! Charleston Social Security Hearing Judges have some of the worst case approval ratings in the nation. The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and as you can see from the table below, Charleston Judges are a lot lower, namely 42%.
This page is for Charleston SC Social Security Hearings, in other words, for people who live in or near Beaufort, Charleston, Conway, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, or Walterboro. For Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg, Clinton, and Greenwood Social Security Hearings click on Judge Ratings for Greenville SC. For Aiken, Bennettsville, Columbia, Florence, Orangeburg, Sumter, or Augusta, GA Social Security Hearings click on Judge Ratings for Columbia SC.
Judge Ratings for Charleston SC Social Security Hearings
Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your Charleston SC 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 Charleston SC if you have a Social Security Disability/SSI appeal and live in or near Beaufort, Charleston, Conway, Georgetown, Myrtle Beach, or Walterboro. The Charleston SC Social Security Hearing office is in North Charleston on Faber Place Drive between exits 14 and 15 of Route 526. 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 Charleston SC, 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 |
Watson, Carl B | 31% | 265 |
LaFata, Richard | 45% | 246 |
Green, Gloria W | 80% | 107 |
Georgian, Tammy | 13% | 205 |
Forbes-Schmitt, Nicole S | 46% | 356 |
Diggs, William | 53% | 397 |
Chase, Ethan A | 39% | 353 |
Totals | 42% | 1929 |
Social Security Disability Hearing Tip: The Judge will determine your “Residual Functional Capacity” or “RFC” in order to decide whether you are disabled or not. RFC is just a fancy way of saying how the Judge believes your disability affects you. For example, a healthy person can stand for 8 hours out of an 8 hour workday. But if you have degenerative knee disease that has required multiple surgeries, you may only be able to stand for a total of 1 hour out of an 8 hour workday. This is part of your RFC, and the other parts are all of the abilities a person has, such as walking, lifting & carrying, climbing stairs, hearing, seeing, etc. The Judge will determine your ability to do all of those things. A Disability Lawyer serving Charleston SC, like us, can explain in more detail how your RFC is determined and how your doctor can help. Contact us for a free consultation or more information.
The Quality of Charleston SC Social Security Hearing Judges
Bad news if you have a hearing in Charleston! Charleston Social Security Hearing Judges have some of the worst case approval ratings in the nation. That being said, it appears that Charleston has only one judge who is over the national average, and she has only 107 dispositions. We disregard the judges with under 10 “total dispositions” because their approval rate will likely change drastically after more dispositions. The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and as you can see, Charleston Judges are a lot lower, namely 42%. Still, many people have really good experiences, because some of the judges and staff genuinely care about other people. But many have very bad experiences in Charleston 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 would I call biased.
For example, for Charleston Social Security hearings, Administrative Law Judge Tammy Georgian has the lowest case approval percentage at 13%. This rate is one of the lowest in the country and we have to ask the question: is Judge Georgian biased against claimants? Does she only approve people over 55 years of age? Hard to tell, because there is no way to see her individual decisions due to confidentiality. As for the other judges, some of them are below 40%. They may be reasonable but just very skeptical. If you draw a judge with below 40% approval rate then you will need a very good case to win. That usually means that if you’re under 50 you must have a very debilitating condition or being at least 50 or over with a physical condition that prevents the ability to stand and walk. 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 Charleston, 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 Charleston SC Social Security Hearing office is in Suite 300 of 3875 Faber Place Drive, North Charleston, SC 29405. 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 Charleston SC Social Security hearing office, also known as the Office of Hearing Operations, call (877) 405-1467.
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 Charleston SC, no matter what stage your case is in, call us or email us and we will evaluate your case for free.