Who decides cases at this office
The 5 judges at this office show a moderate spread in their allowance rates, ranging from 45% to 81% with a median of 65%. Because cases are assigned randomly, you cannot choose your judge, and each one weighs evidence differently. This variation means your preparation must be robust enough to satisfy the requirements of any judge on the panel.
| Rank | Judge | Approval Rate | Total Decisions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kelly B. Lind | 69% | 2,427 | |
| 2 | Claudi L. Rosen-Underwood | 64% | 7,311 | |
| 3 | Carolyn Cohn-Morros | 61% | 4,685 | |
| 4 | Robert Lenzini | 59% | 21,008 | |
| 5 | Joseph P. Lisiecki III | 58% | 25,962 | |
| 6 | Alan J. Markiewicz | 53% | 25,131 | |
| 7 | Sharilyn Hopson | 49% | 20,902 | |
| 8 | Stacy Zimmerman | 48% | 21,749 | |
| 9 | Michael D. Radensky | 44% | 30,540 | |
| 10 | Kenneth E. Ball | 42% | 7,975 | |
| 11 | Helen E. Hesse | 29% | 3,735 | |
| 12 | Joan Ho | 21% | 2,884 |
Heading to an ALJ hearing? Get a free case review to prepare for your upcoming hearing.
Free Benefits ReviewHow long you'll wait
At Orange, the average wait from hearing request to written decision is 10 months— versus a national average of 8 months. Here's how it's tracked month by month over the past 16 months.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
SSDI hearing approval rates — represented vs. on your own
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Going to your hearing
Your 10-month wait is a runway to build a case that stands up to scrutiny. Focus on gathering updated medical records, a detailed log of your daily activities, and statements from those who witness your limitations firsthand. At the hearing, you will typically spend time before an ALJ, where a vocational expert will likely testify about your ability to perform various jobs. Because this office has a moderate spread in judge allowance rates, your file must be complete before the evidence-submission deadline. If your medical evidence is incomplete, the ALJ may not have the necessary documentation to support a favorable decision.
With a 10-month wait between filing and your hearing, you have time to pressure-test your medical evidence against the standards used by the judges at this office. Since the panel's allowance rates vary, having a representative who understands how to navigate these differences can help you prepare for the specific requirements of your hearing.
Field offices that route cases here
If your hearing is at Orange, your case originated at one of the SSA field offices below — the local intake counter where you (or a representative) filed the initial application. Field offices don't decide hearings, but they hold your file, issue benefit-payment notices, and field the day-to-day questions during your wait.