Judges’ Stats for Pittsburgh Social Security Hearings (Sept 2024)

This page is for Social Security Hearings for people who live in or near Pittsburgh, Greensburg, McKeesport, Monroeville, Mt. Lebanon, Rostraver or Washington, PA. For Altoona, DuBois, Indiana, Johnstown, or State College Social Security Hearings click on Judge Ratings for Johnstown PA.

Judge Ratings for Pittsburgh Social Security Hearings

Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh if you have a Social Security Disability/SSI appeal and live in the city of Pittsburgh, Greensburg, McKeesport, Monroeville, Mt. Lebanon, Rostraver or Washington, PA. The Pittsburgh Social Security hearing office is located on Liberty Avenue right next to Pittsburgh Union Station. 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: Either the Judge or your lawyer will ask you questions in order to determine your “residual functional capacity” or RFC. That is just a fancy way of saying how much your disability affects your abilities. If you have a physical condition, for example, the Judge will usually ask you how much you can lift and carry. Try to give an answer in pounds. A gallon of milk weighs about 8 pounds, so can you lift and carry a gallon of milk? That is a good point of reference that the Judge will understand.

The Quality of Pittsburgh Social Security Hearing Judges

The Social Security Hearing Office in Pittsburgh has 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 the judges do approve less than the average number of cases. 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 Pittsburgh because it still is Social Security, run by the government, which is a complete and utter mess. We 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 might be called biased against claimants.

For example, for Pittsburgh Social Security hearings, Administrative Law Judge Leslie Perry-Dowdell has the lowest case approval percentage at 18%. This rate is very low and makes one wonder if they have some kind of bias against Social Security Disability or SSI claimants. This judge certainly denies almost every claimant who is below age 50. There are other judges below 35%, 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 Pittsburgh Social Security Hearings are held in Suite 2308 of 1000 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15222. 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 Pittsburgh Social Security hearing office, also known as the Office of Hearing Operations, call (866) 331-2291.

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 Pittsburgh 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.