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Social Security Disability Approval Rates by State and Hearing Office

Written by

Derek Silva

Data Journalist and Content Lead

Published March 31, 2023

Updated May 3, 2024

7 min read

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Applying for either Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a challenging and long process. Nationally, only about 35% of initial applications were approved in 2022. At the first appeal stage (reconsideration) about 13% of applications were approved. At a court hearing, which is the second and generally last appeal stage, about 54% of claims were approved.

However, the odds of approval also varied greatly by state in 2022. To better understand the chances of winning your Social Security disability claim, Atticus compared approval rates at every stage of the process and across all 50 states (plus Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.).

Why do disability approval rates vary by state?

Even though SSDI and SSI are both federal programs, where you live impacts your chances of approval because application reviews and appeals are handled at state or local levels.

After submitting your initial application, your state’s Disability Determination Services (DDS) will review your medical eligibility. DDS uses the same evaluation process in every state, but medical approval rates range from as low as 30% in Washington, D.C., to as high as 51% in New Hampshire.

If your initial claim is denied, you can file for reconsideration. This is the first stage of appeal and involves DDS and SSA going over your application again. About 90% of claims are denied again at the reconsideration phase, but rates for medical approval (meaning your state DDS decided you meet the medical requirements to get disability) range from 11% in Colorado up to 26% in New Hampshire.

If your reconsideration is denied, you can move to the next appeal stage — a court hearing in front of a disability judge. Your hearing will usually be held at an SSA office within your state. Most judges are also local since they only hear cases in a single office. Based on a previous Atticus study, disability judge approval rates vary significantly across the country.

At the national level, judges approved claims in 54% of hearings. But going state by state, approval rates range from a low of 22% in Hawaii to a high of 54% in New Mexico. Looking at individual judges, some approved only 10% of cases while others approved over 90% of cases (see our judge-by-judge breakdown here).

The following table breaks down state approval rates for SSDI and SSI. Note that the rates for initial applications and reconsiderations use what the SSA calls allowance rate. An allowance means the person was medically approved, though they may still be denied if they don’t meet technical requirements (like not having enough work history to qualify for SSDI). Nationally in the past decade, the final award rate (medical and technical qualification) was about 10% lower than the allowance rate. The rates for hearings represent full approvals.

Social Security disability approval rates by state in 2022

State	Initial application allowance rate	Reconsideration allowance rate	Disability hearing approval rate
Alabama	34%	16%	57%
Alaska	65%	17%	No hearings in 2022
Arizona	36%	16%	52%
Arkansas	38%	15%	49%
California	37%	15%	59%
Colorado	37%	11%	47%
Connecticut	45%	18%	47%
Delaware	37%	19%	61%
District of Columbia	30%	13%	48%
Florida	40%	15%	56%
Georgia	36%	15%	53%
Hawaii	39%	14%	78%
Idaho	44%	18%	No hearings in 2022
Illinois	40%	15%	49%
Indiana	35%	11%	53%
Iowa	44%	14%	57%
Kansas	53%	14%	42%
Kentucky	34%	11%	51%
Louisiana	38%	18%	54%
Maine	42%	20%	56%
Maryland	45%	19%	59%
Massachusetts	45%	23%	50%
Michigan	41%	15%	60%
Minnesota	45%	11%	49%
Mississippi	34%	14%	51%
Missouri	42%	16%	47%
Montana	47%	22%	53%
Nebraska	49%	16%	55%
Nevada	40%	14%	50%
New Hampshire	51%	26%	53%
New Jersey	42%	15%	59%
New Mexico	34%	17%	46%
New York	40%	17%	58%
North Carolina	37%	14%	62%
North Dakota	43%	17%	52%
Ohio	39%	13%	53%
Oklahoma	31%	12%	62%
Oregon	44%	16%	59%
Pennsylvania	39%	16%	50%
Puerto Rico	47%	11%	65%
Rhode Island	46%	16%	47%
South Carolina	43%	16%	60%
South Dakota	41%	16%	No hearings in 2022
Tennessee	40%	17%	58%
Texas	35%	15%	50%
Utah	41%	11%	47%
Vermont	46%	17%	No hearings in 2022
Virginia	42%	16%	48%
Washington	41%	14%	49%
West Virginia	34%	12%	57%
Wisconsin	44%	21%	52%
Wyoming	44%	11%	No hearings in 2022

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Disability hearing approval rates by state

Disability benefit approval rate by state

Disability hearings are handled by individual offices, but most states have multiple office locations. Of the 44 states (including Puerto Rico) with a hearing office, 34 have multiple offices. Approval rates also vary significantly across states.

10 states with the highest SSI and SSDI hearing approval rates

Below are the 10 states with the highest approval rates in 2022:

Hawaii — 78% approval rate
North Carolina — 62% approval rate
Oklahoma — 62% approval rate
Delaware — 61% approval rate
South Carolina — 60% approval rate
Michigan — 60% approval rate
Oregon — 59% approval rate
New Jersey — 59% approval rate
Maryland — 59% approval rate
California — 59% approval rate

In Puerto Rico, residents do qualify for Social Security disability and the approval rate was 65% in 2022. Interestingly, some of these states with the highest approval ratings also ranked among the states where it’s easiest to live off disability benefits.

States with the Highest Disability Approval Rates

10 states with the lowest SSI and SSDI hearing approval rates

Below are the 10 states with the lowest approval rates in 2022:

New Mexico — 46% approval rate
Missouri — 47% approval rate
Utah — 47% approval rate
Connecticut — 47% approval rate
Colorado — 47% approval rate
Rhode Island — 47% approval rate
Virginia — 48% approval rate
Minnesota — 49% approval rate
Illinois — 49% approval rate
Washington — 49% approval rate

The offices with the highest denial rates all approve a similar percentage of claims, but there is still variability within the state. As an example, there were two offices in New Mexico that handled disability cases in 2022. While one office had an approval rate of only 44%, the other approved 47% of claims. In Missouri, there were six offices that had approval rates ranging from 38% to just over 53%.

States with the lowest disability hearing approval rate

Disability hearing approval rates by hearing office

Most disability applicants must go through multiple rounds of appeals until they get to a hearing in front of an administrative law judge (ALJ).

ALJs decide whether to approve or deny someone’s Social Security disability claim by considering all of the information in their application file (medical information, work history, etc.) plus testimony from job experts (vocational experts) and possibly medical experts. This process is the same whether a person applies for SSDI or SSI.

Hearings are conducted through one of the SSA’s hearing offices. In 2022, there were 168 hearing offices that made decisions in SSDI and SSI cases. The approval rate for most hearing offices was between 50% and 65%. This is in line with the average judge approval rate across all offices (54%). However, rates did range from as low as 35% in Richmond, Virginia, to as high as 79% in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Disability approval rates by hearing office in 2022

Hearing office	Cases Decided in 2022	Approval rate in 2022	Denial rate in 2022
Akron, OH	2,855	57%	43%
Albany	2,326	55%	45%
Albuquerque	1,267	44%	56%
Alexandria	1,864	49%	51%
Atlanta Downtown	2,205	56%	44%
Atlanta North	1,720	55%	45%
Baltimore	3,072	65%	35%
Billings	1,422	53%	47%
Birmingham	3,396	49%	51%
Boston	1,729	48%	52%
Bronx	1,488	55%	45%
Buffalo	1,525	48%	52%
Charleston, SC	1,855	53%	47%
Charleston, WV	2,151	66%	34%
Charlotte	2,543	62%	38%
Charlottesville	856	46%	54%
Chattanooga	1,952	64%	36%
Chicago	2,453	54%	46%
Cincinnati	1,944	56%	44%
Cleveland	3,174	47%	53%
Colorado Springs	1,534	36%	64%
Columbia MO	921	50%	50%
Columbia, SC	3,067	62%	38%
Columbus	2,005	52%	48%
Covington, GA	1,928	58%	42%
Creve Coeur	1,912	48%	52%
Dallas Downtown	1,752	52%	48%
Dallas North OHO	3,041	56%	44%
Dayton	2,198	57%	43%
Denver	2,519	54%	46%
Detroit	2,236	58%	42%
Dover	895	61%	39%
Elkins Park	2,675	55%	45%
Eugene	1,726	62%	38%
Evanston	2,604	53%	47%
Evansville	1,754	52%	48%
Fargo	2,052	52%	48%
Fayetteville, NC	2,404	65%	35%
Flint	1,713	58%	42%
Florence	1,649	53%	47%
Fort Myers, FL	1,672	58%	42%
Fort Smith	1,659	58%	42%
Fort Wayne	1,611	50%	50%
Fort Worth	2,380	50%	50%
Franklin, TN	2,392	50%	50%
Fresno	755	64%	36%
Ft. Lauderdale	3,058	49%	51%
Grand Rapids	1,467	59%	41%
Greensboro	1,841	65%	35%
Greenville	2,276	61%	39%
Harrisburg	2,178	44%	56%
Hartford	1,679	49%	51%
Hattiesburg	2,700	43%	57%
Honolulu	422	78%	22%
Houston North	3,582	48%	52%
Houston West	2,846	53%	47%
Huntington, WV	742	48%	52%
Indianapolis	4,175	56%	44%
Jackson Ms OHO	1,570	51%	49%
Jacksonville	3,233	52%	48%
Jersey City	2,104	64%	36%
Johnstown	271	49%	51%
Kansas City	2,570	44%	56%
Kingsport	1,937	60%	40%
Knoxville	1,929	57%	43%
Lansing	2,002	51%	49%
Las Vegas	2,055	50%	50%
Lawrence, MA	1,501	52%	48%
Lexington	2,946	52%	48%
Little Rock	2,645	43%	57%
Livonia, MI	1,691	65%	35%
Long Beach	746	49%	51%
Long Island	1,605	66%	34%
Los Angeles Downtown	1,224	53%	47%
Los Angeles West	1,541	57%	43%
Louisville	2,951	54%	46%
Macon	1,479	45%	55%
Madison	1,437	58%	42%
Manchester	1,826	53%	47%
Mcalester	834	48%	52%
Memphis	1,714	57%	43%
Metairie	1,332	54%	46%
Miami OHO	1,642	62%	38%
Middlesboro	1,158	40%	60%
Milwaukee	2,700	49%	51%
Minneapolis	3,434	49%	51%
Mobile	3,170	63%	37%
Montgomery	2,335	64%	36%
Moreno Valley	1,376	59%	41%
Morgantown	1,556	49%	51%
Mt. Pleasant, MI	1,339	48%	52%
Nashville	1,447	61%	39%
New Haven	1,371	45%	55%
New Orleans	2,070	56%	44%
New York	2,127	60%	40%
New York Varick	929	70%	30%
Newark	2,735	53%	47%
NHC Albuquerque	1,632	47%	53%
NHC Baltimore	3,417	53%	47%
NHC Chicago	3,069	48%	52%
NHC Falls Church	3,165	51%	49%
NHC St. Louis	2,677	48%	52%
Norfolk	1,307	51%	49%
Norwalk	1,547	58%	42%
Oak Brook	1,690	51%	49%
Oak Park	2,453	72%	28%
Oakland	1,968	63%	37%
Oklahoma City	3,055	65%	35%
Omaha	1,828	55%	45%
Orange	1,640	50%	50%
Orland Park	2,533	43%	57%
Orlando	3,596	54%	46%
Paducah	1,237	53%	47%
Pasadena	680	69%	31%
Peoria	1,666	44%	56%
Philadelphia	1,612	50%	50%
Philadelphia East	1,167	52%	48%
Phoenix Downtown	1,694	40%	60%
Phoenix North	1,364	55%	45%
Pittsburgh	1,959	43%	57%
Ponce	587	79%	21%
Portland Me	996	56%	44%
Portland Or	2,821	58%	42%
Providence	762	47%	53%
Queens	1,490	65%	35%
Raleigh	3,135	58%	42%
Reno	302	51%	49%
Richmond	1,801	35%	65%
Rio Grande Valley, TX	439	44%	56%
Roanoke	1,102	57%	43%
Rochester	765	76%	24%
Sacramento	2,329	71%	29%
Salt Lake City	1,901	47%	53%
San Antonio	4,645	44%	56%
San Bernardino	1,833	57%	43%
San Diego	2,140	51%	49%
San Francisco	956	60%	40%
San Jose	758	66%	34%
San Juan	2,798	62%	38%
San Rafael	1,062	69%	31%
Santa Barbara	722	47%	53%
Savannah	1,542	44%	56%
Seattle	1,943	47%	53%
Seven Fields	2,157	62%	38%
Shreveport	857	57%	43%
South Jersey	2,013	61%	39%
Special Review Cadre	2,011	61%	39%
Spokane	1,767	58%	42%
Springfield, MA	876	49%	51%
Springfield, MO	1,594	38%	62%
St. Louis	1,760	53%	47%
St. Petersburg, FL OHO	2,834	52%	48%
Stockton	1,513	51%	49%
Syracuse	2,434	46%	54%
Tacoma	1,217	39%	61%
Tallahassee, FL OHO	1,565	62%	38%
Tampa OHO	3,601	62%	38%
Toledo, OH	2,361	51%	49%
Topeka, KS	649	37%	63%
Tucson	1,432	64%	36%
Tulsa OHO	1,747	63%	37%
Tupelo	1,832	63%	37%
Valparaiso, IN	1,929	52%	48%
Washington	1,344	48%	52%
West Des Moines	1,924	57%	43%
White Plains	2,287	62%	38%
Wichita	1,171	44%	56%
Wilkes-Barre	2,822	46%	54%

10 hearing offices with the highest approval rates

There were 13 offices that approved at least 65% of disability claims in 2022. There were also six offices that approved at least 70% of claims:

Ponce, Puerto Rico — 79% approval rate
Honolulu, Hawaii — 78% approval rate
Rochester, New York — 76% approval rate
Oak Park, Michigan — 72% approval rate
Sacramento, California — 71% approval rate
Varick, New York — 70% approval rate
San Rafael, California — 69% approval rate
Pasadena, California — 69% approval rate
Long Island, New York — 66% approval rate
San Jose, California — 66% approval rate

Learn more about what to expect at a disability hearing.

10 hearing offices with the lowest approval rates

While most hearing offices approve at least half of all claims, there were 53 offices (32% of all offices) where less than 50% of hearings ended with approval. Below are the six offices with the lowest approval rates in 2022:

Richmond, Virginia — 35% approval rate
Colorado Springs, Colorado — 36% approval rate
Topeka, Kansas — 37% approval rate
Springfield, Missouri — 38% approval rate
Tacoma, Washington — 39% approval rate
Middlesboro, Kentucky — 40% approval rate
Downtown Phoenix, Arizona — 40% approval rate
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — 43% approval rate
Orland Park, Illinois — 43% approval rate
Hattiesburg, Mississippi — 43% approval rate

It’s important to note that not every judge in an office will approve or deny the same number of cases. For example, in the Richmond, Virginia, office there were nine judges who oversaw disability cases in 2022. Six of the nine judges had an approval rate of less than 40%, but the other three judges approved more than 50% of claims and one judge even approved more than 70% of claims. No matter which office handles a hearing case, which judge takes the case can make a big difference.

How to get help with your disability application

The unfortunate truth is that the disability application process is complicated, and it takes more than two years for most applicants. The best way to get help and to increase your chances of success is to work with a disability lawyer.

Involving a lawyer may seem strange, but they’re truly experts on the disability process. They can reduce your stress by guiding you through the process, but they can also do some of the heavy lifting so you don’t have to. They’ll help you fill out the application and work with you to gather the medical documents the SSA wants. A lawyer can file appeals for you and then represent you in a court in front of a judge. Overall, disability applicants with lawyers are three times more likely to win benefits.

Not every applicant needs a lawyer, so start with this disability benefits quiz. If it looks like your claim could benefit from professional help, we can match you with an experienced lawyer. You won’t have to work with the lawyer unless you want to and you’ll never have to pay the lawyer anything until after you win your disability claim.

Get an honest assessment of your chances of winning benefits.

Frequently asked questions about getting approved for disability

How long does it take to get approved for disability?

Unfortunately, from the time you submit your application until you get approved for disability benefits takes more than two years on average. On the bright side, your first paycheck will include months or even years of back pay benefits.

Does my medical condition affect my chances of winning disability?

It is easier to qualify for Social Security disability benefits with certain conditions. For example, the SSA will automatically approve a terminal illness but is less likely to approve disability for mental health conditions like depression. Learn more about what conditions qualify for SSDI and SSI.

Can I increase my chances of winning benefits?

Your two best strategies for success are to have strong medical records and to get professional help from a disability lawyer. The SSA may approve your application faster if you have robust medical documentation of your condition. Applicants with lawyers are also three times more likely to win benefits.

Is it easier to apply for SSDI or SSI?

SSDI and SSI use the same application and have the same medical requirements. The technical requirements (income and work history) do vary by program. If you’re unsure which to apply for, try for both and let the SSA decide which you technically qualify for.

Which will pay me more, SSI or SSDI?

SSDI pays more than SSI. The maximum possible SSDI benefit is $3,822 in 2024 but the maximum SSI benefit is only $943. You’re unlikely to get the maximum though. Learn more about how SSDI and SSI are calculated.

Does where I live affect how much I get from SSDI or SSI?

No, where you live doesn’t affect how your disability benefits are calculated. Average benefits amounts do vary by location but that’s only because of differences in income, work history, or other personal factors.