Where does SSA have ODAR offices in Tennessee?
In Tennessee, Social Security Administration (SSA) has six ODAR offices. Here are the averages according to Disabilityjudges.com:
AVERAGE TENNESSEE ODAR STATISTICS
| Office | Judges | Avg. Hearing | Average Processing Time | Avg. Depositions Per Day Per ALJ | Cases Dismissed | Cases Approved | Cases Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga | 16 | 9.0 months | 356 days | 2.3 | 20% | 47% | 33% |
| Franklin | 6 | 13.0 months | 437 days | 2.3 | 15% | 51% | 34% |
| Kingsport | 17 | 11.5 months | 402 days | 2.4 | 13% | 51% | 35% |
| Knoxville | 16 | 12.0 months | 395 days | 1.9 | 15% | 49% | 36% |
| Memphis | 13 | 10.0 months | 399 days | 2.2 | 19% | 48% | 33% |
| Nashville | 16 | 12.0 months | 414 days | 2.1 | 16% | 48% | 36% |
| All Tennessee | 11.3 months | 400 days | 2.2 | 16% | 49% | 35% | |
| National Average: | 11.8 months | 418 days | 1.9 | 18% | 44% | 38% |
Which Office in Tennessee gives me the best chance to win my hearing?
All the offices approval ratings are very close together. Historically over the last 10 years Kingsport and Chattanooga have had the highest approval ratings while Nashville has been the lowest. If you are wanting to get a hearing fast Chattanooga’s ODAR office will be the fastest while Franklin is the longest at 13 months just longer than the Knoxville, TN ODAR and Nashville, TN ODAR which sit at 12 months.
Are the Social Security Administration’s Disability judges in Tennessee paying cases that are not as strong as the rest of the country on average?
By the numbers the Tennessee (SSA) Social Security Administration’s judges pay at about 10 percent higher than the national average. Are Tennessee judges paying cases that other states are not.
Why are Social Security Disability Judges in Tennessee paying hearings 12% higher than Rhode Island?
Rhode Island, we think of as a liberal state but its Social Security Disability judges are paying 37% of the hearings they hear as a whole compared to 49% for Tennessee which is a conservative state. I would rather file and have my entire Social Security Disability case in Rhode Island than Tennessee.
Rhode Island’s initial and reconsideration phases are approved at a much higher rate than Tennessee which is one of the lowest in the country. Therefore the cases the judges in Tennessee are deciding at the hearing level are much higher quality than the cases the Rhode Island judges decide and therefore something that appears to be better at first blush is actually not the better state when it comes to get a favorable decision.
If you are filing for Social Security Disability call Betz & Baril we will fight relentlessly to get you all the benefits you deserve.
Call us today at (865) 888-8888 for your free consultation with a knowledgeable member of our team.