Judge Ratings for Richmond Social Security Hearings (Sept 2024)

Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your Richmond 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 Richmond if you have a Social Security Disability/SSI appeal and live in or near Chesterfield, Farmville, Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, Petersburg, Richmond (Downtown), or Richmond (East). The Richmond Social Security hearing office is located in downtown Richmond on East Main Street right across from the Virginia State Capitol Building. 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 Richmond, 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: Get every shred of medical evidence you can for the hearing. That means medical records, supportive letters/forms from your doctor(s), therapy notes from mental health practitioners, or other documents like these. A Disability Lawyer serving Richmond can and will help you gather medical evidence that the judge needs to make a decision in your case. Any missing evidence will sometimes delay the decision in your case and at worst convince the judge to deny your case.

The Quality of Richmond Social Security Hearing Judges

Bad news if you have a case in Richmond. Richmond Social Security Hearing Judges have worse than average ratings when it comes to case approval percentages. The national average for case approval rate is 54%, and as you can see, Richmond Judges are lower, namely 49%. You’ll also notice from the above table that most judges are about average but a couple of judges in Richmond have a low approval rate. Some 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 Richmond 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 are biased.

For example, for Richmond Social Security hearings, Administrative Law Judge Suzette Knight has the lowest case approval percentage at 23%. This rate is very low but she may be reasonable but just incredibly skeptical. If you draw a judge with below 30% approval rate then you will need a very good case to win. That usually means that if you’re under 50 you must have a crushingly debilitating condition or being at least 50 or over with a physical condition that almost totally prevents the ability to stand and walk. 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 Richmond, 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 Richmond Social Security hearings are held in Suite 225 at 1100 E. Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219. 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 Richmond Social Security hearing office, also known as the Office of Hearing Operations, call (877) 405-3665.

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