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Judge Ratings for Dallas Social Security Hearings (Nov 2024)

November 15, 2024 Disability

The Quality of Dallas Social Security Hearing Judges

Good news if you have a Social Security Disability Hearing in Dallas! Dallas Texas Social Security Hearing Judges have above average case approval ratings, by five to ten percentage points. The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and as you can see from the table below, Dallas Texas Judges are above average, namely 59% in Downtown Dallas and 64% in North Dallas. Awesome! However, the bad news is that three of the judges are at 44% or below, and you may get one of them. It appears that in Dallas only 7 out of 19 judges are at or below average, and that’s pretty good. Read below to see who’s who. Note: we don’t count judges that have less than 50 dispositions in our analysis.

This page is for Dallas TX Social Security Hearings, in other words, for people who live in or near Corsicana, Dallas (Fair Park), Dallas (Oak Cliff), Georgetown, San Marcos, South Austin, Temple, Waco, Dallas (North), Denton, Greenville, Longview, McKinney, Mid-Cities, Palestine, Paris, Pleasant Grove, Mount Pleasant, Sherman, Tyler, Waxahachie, or Durant, OK.

For other locations in Texas click on:

Judge Ratings for Dallas Social Security Hearings

Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your Dallas TX 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 Dallas TX if you have a Social Security Disability/SSI appeal and live in or near Corsicana, Dallas (Fair Park), Dallas (Oak Cliff), Georgetown, San Marcos, South Austin, Temple, Waco, Dallas (North), Denton, Greenville, Longview, McKinney, Mid-Cities, Palestine, Paris, Pleasant Grove, Mount Pleasant, Sherman, Tyler, Waxahachie, or Durant, OK. The Dallas Downtown Social Security Hearing office is on Bryan Street in the Dallas Downtown Historic District about four blocks East of the Dallas Museum of Art. The Dallas North Social Security Hearing Office is on Merit Drive right next to the High Five Interchange. 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 Dallas, 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 November 2024:

Judge

Percent Approved

Total Dispositions

DALLAS DOWNTOWN

  

Collins, Peri

33%

158

Foley, David

57%

449

Kinnell, Tresie

57%

433

Lahat, Gal

69%

303

Lappin, Randi E

71%

35

Maiben, Evelyn

66%

394

Mendola, Mark J

35%

42

Sartor, Rebecca B

51%

438

Sauve, Michael

55%

446

Thames, Tammy A

71%

414

Van Dyck, Christopher

0%

1

Totals

59%

3113

DALLAS NORTH

  

Curran, Daniel

60%

136

Haigler, Jr., Whitfield

87%

456

Kim, Mark

40%

501

Kinkade, Jana

68%

541

Liken, Joseph

81%

533

Mendola, Mark J

54%

507

Nestler, Julie

44%

505

Phillips, Derek N

70%

611

Reeves, William P

100%

1

Shilling, Ralph F

52%

361

Walters, Charles

80%

507

Wheeler, Thomas J

54%

559

Wurm, David R

0%

1

Totals

64%

5219

Social Security Disability Hearing Tip: In most cases, all of the evidence that the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) will consider at your hearing is in the “E-File”. The E-File has internal SSA documents pertaining to your case, along with your medical records and any paperwork you completed during the application and appeal processes. You can get a CD with your E-File on it, but you would have to have a computer to view it. If you have a lawyer, your lawyer will have access to your E-File through a special representative portal website. A Disability Lawyer serving Dallas TX, like us, can explain in more detail how the E-File Impacts your case. Contact us for a free consultation or more information.

Case Approval Rates of Dallas Social Security Hearing Judges

The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and Dallas Judges are between 59%-64%, on average. Still, many have very bad experiences in Dallas because it still is Social Security, run by the government, which is a complete and utter mess. And many people have really good experiences, because some of the judges and staff genuinely care about other people. 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, Administrative Law Judge Peri Collins has the lowest case approval rate in Dallas at 33%. That is actually not that low, and is probably within reason. Judging medical disability is tough, and reasonable minds can differ sometimes.

We can also see from the table that six total Judges are at 40%-54%, so there is a significant chance you will draw one of these judges. If you draw a judge with 40%-54% approval rate then you will need a decent case to win, usually with lots of medical evidence and an opinion from a medical expert (like your doctor) 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 40%-54%, if you’re under age 50 you probably have to have a condition that is life-changing and stops you from working at all (not just part time). If you are age 50 or over you’ll probably need to have the preceding life-changing condition or at least a physical condition that prevents the ability to stand and walk most 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 Dallas, 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 Dallas Downtown Social Security Hearing office is at Harwood Center, Suite 2300, 1999 Bryan Street, Dallas, TX 75201. The Dallas West Social Security Hearing Office is at Building 9, Suite 500, 12790 Merit Drive, Dallas, TX 75251. 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 Dallas Social Security hearing office, also known as the Office of Hearing Operations, call (866) 563-3885 for Dallas Downtown or (866) 331-7135 for Dallas North.

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 Dallas, no matter what stage your case is in, call us or email us and we will evaluate your case for free.

Photo source:By Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42211056