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

Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your Roanoke 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 Roanoke if you have a Social Security Disability/SSI appeal and live in Bristol, Covington, Roanoke, Wise, Wytheville and Bluefield, WV. The Roanoke Social Security hearing office is located on South Jefferson Street right next to Elmwood  Park. 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 Roanoke Social Security Judges

The Social Security Hearing Office in Roanoke has about 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 two judges are above average while two judges are below average. 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 Roanoke 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 I call biased.

For example, for Roanoke Social Security hearings, Administrative Law Judge James Gabello has the lowest case approval percentage at 37%.  This rate is actually not very low and the Judge could very well be a reasonable person but just very 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.

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 Roanoke Social Security hearings are held on the Second Floor, Suite 200, of 612 South Jefferson Street, Roanoke, VA 24011 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 Roanoke Social Security hearing office, also known as the Office of Hearing Operations, call (866) 592-3548.

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 Roanoke 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.