Judges’ Stats for Washington DC Social Security Hearings (Sept 2024)

Are you wondering if you got a good judge for your Washington DC 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 my clients desperately want to know every detail of their Disability Hearing so that they have the best chance of winning. 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: Don’t fall for the “dream job” trick question! If the Judge describes what sounds like a perfect job, easy enough for you to do with your limitations, and then asks you if you could work that job, it’s usually a trick question! Usually someone with limitations could do the “dream job” for a few hours, but not a whole work day (8 hour day) or whole work week (5 full days). Talk to your lawyer about it if you have one. If you don’t, get a lawyer! Contact us for a free case evaluation.

The Quality of Washington DC Social Security Judges

The Social Security Hearing Office in Washington DC has average judges when it comes to case approval percentages. Many people still have really good experiences, because some of the staff genuinely care about other people. But many have very bad experiences in Washington DC 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. As you can see from the chart above, Judge Krasnow approves the least amount of cases at 35%, but that’s not very low. The national average is 54%. We’ve seen judges at 10% or less, and that’s when some kind of bias against claimants might come into play.

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 a 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 Washington DC Social Security hearings are held at 1227 25th Street N.W.. Washington, DC 20037 on the 3rd Floor. You’ll check in with building security and get a badge, then take the elevator to the 3rd floor where you’ll check in with Social Security security (yes that’s a thing). 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.

What should I do if I need help with my hearing?

If you do not have a lawyer yet, often the 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 Washington DC Social Security Disability lawyer, no matter what stage your case is in, contact us and we will evaluate your case for free.