Judge Ratings for Manhattan Social Security Hearings (Oct 2024)

The Quality of Manhattan Social Security Hearing Judges

Good news if you have a Social Security Disability Hearing in Manhattan (and parts of Brooklyn)! Manhattan Social Security Hearing Judges range from very good case approval ratings to pretty bad case approval ratings. That being said, it appears that Manhattan has a little less than average judges when it comes to case approval percentages. The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and as you can see, Manhattan Judges are a little lower, namely 62%.

Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your Manhattan 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 Manhattan if you have a Social Security Disability/SSI appeal and live in Bedford Heights, Brooklyn New Utrecht, Downtown East Harlem, East Village, Midtown, Uptown, or Washington Heights. The Manhattan Social Security hearing office is located at Federal Plaza, on the corner of Worth Street and Broadway in TriBeCa. Ok it’s not exactly inTriBeCa but right across  Broadway from TriBeCa. Anyway, 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 Manhattan, 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:

Tip: Don’t tell the judge you can work unless you explain why you answered that way. You are at a Social Security Disability Hearing because you are expected to be disabled for 12 months or more, or at the very least have a closed period of disability of 12 months or more in the past. ‘Disabled” in Social Security terms means that you can’t or couldn’t work ANY job in the national economy, that doesn’t mean you can work but nobody will hire you. If you can work but no one will hire you, you are not disabled (unless you’re 50 or over). Confused? Contact us for a free case evaluation from a Disability Lawyer serving Manhattan.

Manhattan judges have a 62% case approval rate, which is above the national average. You’ll also notice from the above table that many judges are above average while many judges are below average, and no judges in Manhattan are right on the average approval rate. 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 Manhattan 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 we wonder if they were biased.

For example, for Manhattan Social Security hearings, Administrative Law Judge Aaron Morgan appears to have the lowest approval rate at 0%. He actually also has decisions in Newark and his overall case approval percentage is about 35%. This rate is actually not very low and the Judge could very well be a reasonable person but just a little skeptical. That being said, if you draw a judge with below 40% approval rate then you will need a pretty 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 debilitating physical condition. 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 Manhattan, 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 out the photo above from the SSA hearing office locator website. It shows that Manhattan Social Security hearings are held in Room 2909 of 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278-0035. 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 Manhattan Social Security hearing office, also known as the Office of Hearing Operations, call (877) 405-6744.

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