Judges’ Stats for Harrisburg PA Social Security Hearings (Sept 2024)

Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your Harrisburg PA 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 Harrisburg if you have a Social Security Disability/SSI appeal and live in Carlisle, Chambersburg, obviously Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lewistown, or York. The Harrisburg Social Security hearing office is located on Market Street right off of Route 83 on the West Side of the Susquehanna River. 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 your Social Security Disability Hearing Lawyer would give you leading up to the hearing date.

Judges’ Statistics

The following table is up to date as of September 2024:

Tip: Your lawyer (if you have one) will ask you questions in the hearing, and the Judge will probably ask you questions. That’s it, there is no lawyer for the other side like on TV. But sometimes the Judge will ask you questions as if they are cross-examining you. So be well prepared!

The Quality of Harrisburg PA Social Security Judges

The Social Security Hearing Office in Harrisburg, PA has very below average judges when it comes to case approval percentages. The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and you’ll notice from the above table that only one judge (Judge Cutter) is above average while all the other judges are below average. We are not counting the judges with just a few decisions, like Judge Serafin, who actually has about a 70% approval rate in Washington DC, so she may have transferred there. But the judges do not approve many cases. Many people still have really good experiences, because some of the judges and staff genuinely care about other people. But many have very bad experiences in Harrisburg PA because it still is Social Security, run by the government, which is a complete and utter mess. I believe 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 Harrisburg Social Security hearings, Administrative Law Judge Richard E. Guida has the lowest case approval percentage at 22%. This rate is very low and makes one wonder if he has some kind of bias against Social Security Disability or SSI claimants. He certainly denies almost every claimant who is below age 50. There are other judges below 25%, but they don’t have very many decisions so that might not be their true approval percentages. But if you draw a judge with below 40% 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.

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 Harrisburg PA Social Security hearings are held in the Keystone Plaza at the 4th Floor of 100 Market Street, Harrisburg PA 17101. 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 Harrisburg Social Security hearing office, also known as the Office of Hearing Operations, call 888-352-3691.

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 Harrisburg PA Social Security Disability lawyer, no matter what stage your case is in, call us or email us and we will evaluate your case for free.