Who decides cases at this office
The panel at this office consists of 5 judges with an allowance rate spread ranging from 46% to 67%. Because cases are assigned randomly, you cannot choose your judge, and each one weighs evidence according to their own judicial philosophy. This variation means your file must be robust enough to stand on its own merits regardless of who is presiding over your hearing.
| Rank | Judge | Approval Rate | Total Decisions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathaniel E. Strickler | 67% | 6,438 | |
| 2 | Gerard J. Rickert | 63% | 4,095 | |
| 3 | Daniel Luker | 53% | 4,567 | |
| 4 | Robert H. Schwartz | 52% | 28,454 | |
| 5 | Shreese M. Wilson | 49% | 19,202 | |
| 6 | Susan F. Zapf | 48% | 16,778 | |
| 7 | John M. Wood | 42% | 28,788 | |
| 8 | Diane R. Flebbe | 32% | 889 |
Heading to an ALJ hearing? Get a free case review to prepare for your upcoming hearing.
Free Benefits ReviewHow long you'll wait
At Peoria, 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
With a 7-month wait, you have a limited window to ensure your medical records are complete and up to date. The most critical step is submitting all new evidence well before the deadline, as the judge will rely on these documents to understand your limitations. During your hearing, you will likely face questions from the judge and a vocational expert who will testify about jobs that might fit your physical or mental restrictions. You should be prepared to discuss your daily activities, medication side effects, and any specific tasks you can no longer perform. Having a consistent log of your symptoms and witness statements from family or former coworkers can provide the context that medical charts sometimes miss. A decision is rarely made on the spot; you will typically receive the outcome by mail several weeks after the hearing concludes.
Hearings at this office come up quickly, leaving little room for error once your date is set. While the 56% allowance rate suggests a fair process, cases that fail often do so because they did not adequately address the specific vocational questions posed by the expert. Preparing your evidence against the standards the Social Security Administration uses to define disability is the most effective way to navigate the hearing process.
Field offices that route cases here
If your hearing is at Peoria, 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.