Who decides cases at this office
The 13 judges at this office demonstrate a wide spread in their allowance rates, with a median of 61%. Because outcomes vary significantly depending on which judge is assigned to your case, your file must be strong enough to stand on its own merits. Judges are assigned randomly, and each weighs evidence differently, so thorough preparation is your best defense against this variability.
| Rank | Judge | Approval Rate | Total Decisions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul L. Johnston | 91% | 22,591 | |
| 2 | Daniel A. Piloseno Jr. | 84% | 21,478 | |
| 3 | Steven D. Slahta | 70% | 27,291 | |
| 4 | Melissa J. McIntosh | 66% | 17,489 | |
| 5 | Carl C. McGhee | 65% | 24,089 | |
| 6 | Shirley A. Marzan | 63% | 20,664 | |
| 7 | Robert Ballieu | 61% | 19,323 | |
| 8 | Margaret Craig | 61% | 22,219 | |
| 9 | Rhonda S. Greenberg | 57% | 3,490 | |
| 10 | Barbara J. Zanotti | 57% | 23,223 | |
| 11 | Michael A. Rodriguez | 56% | 4,902 | |
| 12 | Ryan Kirzner | 53% | 21,665 | |
| 13 | John Dawkins | 48% | 25,318 | |
| 14 | Gonzalo Vallecillo | 45% | 19,628 | |
| 15 | Wallace E. Weakley | 43% | 6,472 | |
| 16 | Glen H. Watkins | 33% | 30,135 | |
| 17 | Amber Downs | 31% | 21,732 |
Heading to an ALJ hearing? See if you qualify for representation before your hearing.
Free Benefits ReviewHow long you'll wait
At Tampa, the average wait from hearing request to written decision is 7 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
Hearings in Tampa are presided over by an ALJ. Because the panel here shows a wide spread in allowance rates—ranging from 31% to 72%—your preparation must be rigorous enough to satisfy any judge. You should bring updated medical records, a detailed log of daily activities, and a list of medications with their specific side effects. A vocational expert will likely testify about whether jobs exist for someone with your specific limitations, and you will have the opportunity to question them. Ensure all evidence is submitted well before the deadline, as last-minute additions are restricted. A final decision will arrive by mail several weeks after the proceedings conclude.
When a panel's allowance rates span over 40 points, your file has to be strong enough that no judge can dismiss it on weak documentation. Many claimants assume the hearing is a simple review of their initial application, but it is actually a new opportunity to introduce evidence that was missed or undervalued by the state DDS, which has an initial-decision allowance rate of 42%. You can focus on identifying these gaps to ensure your medical evidence is fully updated for the hearing.
Field offices that route cases here
If your hearing is at Tampa, 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.