Judge Ratings for Houston TX Social Security Hearings (Nov 2024)

The Quality of Houston Social Security Hearing Judges

Not great news if you have a Social Security Disability Hearing in Houston! Houston Texas Social Security Hearing Judges have below average case approval ratings, by one to two percentage points. The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and as you can see from the table below, Houston Texas Judges are just a bit below average, namely 52% in North Houston and 53% in West Houston. Could be better! However, the good news is that all the judges except for one are at 29% or above. It appears that in Houston 12 out of 22 judges are at or below average, and that’s no 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 Houston TX Social Security Hearings, in other words, for people who live in or near Beaumont, Brenham, Bryan, Conroe, Houston (Downtown), Houston (Northeast), Houston (Southeast), Lufkin, Port Arthur, Angleton, Galveston, Houston (Northwest), Houston (Southwest), Pasadena, or Victoria.

For other locations in Texas click on:

• Disability Lawyer Texas

Judge Ratings for Houston Social Security Hearings

Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your Houston 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 Houston TX if you have a Social Security Disability/SSI appeal and live in or near Beaumont, Brenham, Bryan, Conroe, Houston (Downtown), Houston (Northeast), Houston (Southeast), Lufkin, Port Arthur, Angleton, Galveston, Houston (Northwest), Houston (Southwest), Pasadena, or Victoria. The Houston North Social Security Hearing office is on Aldine Bender Road across from the U.S. Postal Service Distribution Center. The Houston West Social Security Hearing Office is on Richmond Avenue two blocks Northwest of Emerson Elementary School. 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 Houston, 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:

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 Houston 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 Houston Social Security Hearing Judges

The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and Houston Judges are between 52%-53%, on average. 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 Houston 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, Administrative Law Judge Michelle Whetsel has the lowest case approval rate in Houston at 16%. That is actually very low, and begs the question: is Judge Whetsel biased against claimants for some reason? Some judges let their personal or political beliefs interfere with their independent judgment. We hope that is not the case with Judge Whetsel. 

We can also see from the table that six total Judges are at 29%-46%, so there is a significant chance you will draw one of these judges. If you draw a judge with 29%-46% 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 29%-46%, if you’re under age 50 you probably have to have a condition that is life-wrecking 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-wrecking condition or at least a physical condition that prevents the ability to stand and walk almost totally. In both cases, you will probably lose if you have sedentary work experience. Click here to get more information about the rules, or a Disability Lawyer serving Houston, 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 Houston North Social Security Hearing office is at 4015 Aldine Bender Road, Houston, TX 77032. The Houston West Social Security Hearing Office is at 9700 Richmond Avenue, Suite 200, Houston, TX 77042. 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 Houston Social Security hearing office, also known as the Office of Hearing Operations, call (877) 850-7829 for Houston North or (866) 779-5456 for Houston West.

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

Photo source: By Katie Haugland Brown – https://www.flickr.com/photos/76771463@N02/8048613796/in/photostream/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=88202578