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Judge Ratings for New York City Social Security Disability Hearings (Oct 2024)

October 12, 2024 Disability

The Quality of New York City Social Security Hearing Judges

Good news if you have a New York City Social Security hearing with the judges that serve Brooklyn or Queens! Queens/Brooklyn Social Security Hearing Judges have some of the better case approval ratings in the nation. Not so good news if you have a Manhattan/Bronx hearing. Those judges are below the national average, but it’s not all that bad. The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and as you can see from the tables below, Brooklyn/Queens Judges are higher, collectively above 60%. Manhattan/Bronx Judges are collectively around 50%, which is slightly lower than average.

Who Will Get the Judges Described Below?

This page is for people who have a New York City Social Security Hearing, in other words, for people who live in or near Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn or the Bronx. For Staten Island, click on Judge Ratings for Jersey City. For Monticello, New Rochelle, Newburgh, Peekskill, Poughkeepsie, West Nyack, White Plains, or Yonkers Social Security Hearings click on Judge Ratings for White Plains. For Long Island including Freeport, Melville, Mineola, Patchogue, Riverhead, or West Babylon Social Security Hearings click on Judge Ratings for Long Island. For Albany, Gloversville, Hudson, Oneonta, Plattsburgh, Queensbury, Schenectady, or Troy click on Judge Ratings for Albany NY. 

Judge Ratings for New York City Social Security Hearings

Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your NYC 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 New York City if you have a Social Security Disability/SSI appeal and live in or near Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan or the Bronx. If you live in Staten Island, sorry but your Social Security hearing is in Jersey City!

There are four separate hearing offices for people with New York City Social Security Hearings. The two Social Security Hearing offices serving Brooklyn and Manhattan are both in Manhattan near TriBeCa. The one serving Queens is right off of the Jamaica Center – Parsons/Archer stop on the E, J and Z. The one in the Bronx is right near Yankee Stadium. Here are all the judges’ statistics and other information that you need, and if you’re looking for a Disability Lawyer serving NYC, don’t hesitate to call us or email us and we will evaluate your case for free.

Judges’ Statistics for Bronx Social Security Hearings 

The following totals are up to date as of October 2024, for a breakdown of judges click on Judge Ratings for the Bronx.

 

Percent Approved

Total Dispositions

Totals

50%

848

Judges’ Statistics for Brooklyn Social Security Hearings 

The following totals are up to date as of October 2024, for a breakdown of judges click on Judge Ratings for Brooklyn.

 

Percent Approved

Total Dispositions

Totals

64%

1238

Judges’ Statistics for Queens Social Security Hearings

The following totals are up to date as of October 2024, for a breakdown of judges click on Judge Ratings for Queens.

 

Percent Approved

Total Dispositions

Totals

68%

1666

Judges’ Statistics for Manhattan Social Security Hearings

The following totals are up to date as of October 2024, for a breakdown of judges click on Judge Ratings for Manhattan.

 

Percent Approved

Total Dispositions

Totals

51%

1480

 

NYC Social Security Hearing Tip: The most difficult case to prove is an autoimmune disease like lupus or a nerve disease like fibromyalgia or Parkinson’s. The reason being that most of the symptoms are self-reported and there are very few tests that show severity. There are physical signs that a doctor can spot, like tremor with Parkinson’s, but most doctors do not document these signs well. There are things you can tell your doctor that will help, and a Disability Lawyer serving NYC, like us, can explain them to you. Contact us for a free consultation or more information.

Your New York City Social Security Hearing Experience

The national average for case approval rate is 54%, Brooklyn/Queens Judges are above 60%. Manhattan/Bronx Judges are about 50%. Still, be careful about assuming how your hearing is going to go because many have very bad experiences in any of these hearing offices because they are all Social Security, run by the government, which is a complete and utter mess. But 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 would I call biased.

Judges With Below 40% Case Approval Rates 

For example, for Bronx NY Social Security hearings, Administrative Law Judge John Carlton has the lowest case approval percentage at 38%.  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. Click here for a free case evaluation.

Judges With Below 30% Case Approval Rates

But what If you get a judge with a below 30% approval rating, are they biased against claimants? No, probably not. That is actually a very low approval rate but still within the bounds of reason. That judge may be very conservative, and is probably very skeptical also. The last thing these judges want to do is give someone a Disability Check who is not really disabled, just lazy. If you draw a judge with below 30% approval rate then you will need a very good case to win, usually with tons of medical evidence. 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 under 30%, if you’re under age 50 you probably have to have a completely debilitating condition or being at least age 50 or over with a physical condition that almost completely prevents the ability to stand and walk at all. Again, you may lose if you have sedentary work experience. Click here to get more information about the rules, or a Disability Lawyer serving NYC, like us, can give you the information you need. Click here for a free case evaluation.

Judges With Below 20% Case Approval Rates

There are currently no judges doing New York City Social Security Hearings with a below 20% approval rate. If there were, we would have to seriously consider whether they were biased against claimants. This rate is too low if there are enough decisions to call it a trend, and would probably result in quite a bit of injustice.

Where Will My New York City Social Security 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 following links will give you the specific addresses for each hearing office:

Judge Ratings for the Bronx

Judge Ratings for Brooklyn

Judge Ratings for Queens

Judge Ratings for Manhattan

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