Who decides cases at this office
The 12 judges at this office show a wide variation in their decision-making, with allowance rates ranging from 32% to 91%. Since cases are assigned randomly, you should prepare your case to be as strong as possible to account for these differing judicial perspectives.
| Rank | Judge | Approval Rate | Total Decisions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brent T. Asseff | 82% | 18,824 | |
| 2 | Saul W. Nathanson | 79% | 1,125 | |
| 3 | Randall D. Huggins | 78% | 26,563 | |
| 4 | Robert Egan | 78% | 8,321 | |
| 5 | Peter Jamison | 74% | 27,340 | |
| 6 | Mary Ryerse | 73% | 25,220 | |
| 7 | D. Randall Frye | 73% | 18,175 | |
| 8 | Theresa R. Jenkins | 66% | 24,819 | |
| 9 | Kristi Bellamy | 65% | 7,099 | |
| 10 | Kevin F. Foley | 64% | 6,814 | |
| 11 | Darrell Fun | 62% | 11,168 | |
| 12 | Valorie Stefanelli | 61% | 22,640 | |
| 13 | Nancy McCoy | 60% | 19,335 | |
| 14 | Vincent Hill | 60% | 22,241 | |
| 15 | Todd D. Jacobson | 59% | 13,909 | |
| 16 | Clinton C. Hicks | 59% | 17,059 | |
| 17 | Wendell M. Sims | 55% | 17,126 | |
| 18 | Paul Goodson | 51% | 21,152 | |
| 19 | R. Dirk Selland | 50% | 22,595 | |
| 20 | Susan Poulos | 28% | 24,217 |
Heading to an ALJ hearing? Get a free case review to prepare for your hearing.
Free Benefits ReviewHow long you'll wait
At Charlotte, 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 at this office move at a steady pace, with a 7-month wait time that has remained consistent recently. You should prioritize organizing your medical evidence and work history as soon as you receive your hearing notice. Ensure your records are updated and clearly highlight your functional limitations. During your hearing, you will likely face questions about your ability to perform past work or other jobs in the national economy. Because the judges here have a wide range of allowance rates, your evidence must be comprehensive enough to meet the standards of any judge on the panel.
With a 59 percentage point spread in allowance rates across the panel, the quality of your documentation is critical. Preparing for the specific lines of questioning used by vocational experts can help you feel more confident during your testimony. Focusing on clear, objective medical evidence helps bridge the gap between your symptoms and the requirements for disability benefits.
Field offices that route cases here
If your hearing is at Charlotte, 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.