Who decides cases at this office
The panel of 3 judges at this office operates with a tight allowance-rate spread, with individual rates clustering between 54% and 67%. This consistency means that while random assignment determines your judge, the panel generally evaluates evidence with a similar standard. While this predictability is helpful, each judge still weighs testimony differently, and your file must be robust enough to stand on its own merits regardless of who presides.
| Rank | Judge | Approval Rate | Total Decisions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanley Petraschuk | 91% | 1,619 | |
| 2 | Edward J. Banas | 70% | 819 | |
| 3 | Anthony Reeves | 64% | 17,510 | |
| 4 | Steven L. Butler | 62% | 23,843 | |
| 5 | Bernadette Reiling | 45% | 3,197 | |
| 6 | Jack Penca | 42% | 16,892 |
Heading to an ALJ hearing? Get a free case review to prepare for your upcoming hearing.
Free Benefits ReviewHow long you'll wait
At Dover, the average wait from hearing request to written decision is 8 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 hearing in Dover will involve testifying under oath before an ALJ. Because this office maintains a steady pace, you should submit all updated medical records, medication side-effect logs, and daily-activity journals well before the deadline. A Vocational Expert will typically attend to testify about your ability to perform work; you and your attorney have the right to question their analysis of your limitations. Ensure you bring a valid photo ID and any new evidence that was not available during your initial denial. Decisions are rarely delivered on the spot, so expect to receive a written notice in the mail after the proceedings conclude.
With a 7.5-month wait between your appeal and your hearing date, you have a significant runway to prepare your case. You can use this time to gather missing documentation that could clarify your physical or mental limitations to the Social Security Administration. You can translate your medical records into the specific language the court uses to evaluate disability, ensuring your testimony aligns with the evidence in your file.
Field offices that route cases here
If your hearing is at Dover, 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.