Annual Statistical Supplement, 2019

Program Provisions and SSA Administrative Data

SSA Administrative Data

Hearings and Appeals

Table 2.F8 Workload of SSA's Administrative Law Judges (ALJs), fiscal years 2015–2018
Item 2015 2016 a 2017 2018
Number of ALJs 1,265 1,340 1,430 1,487
Average monthly hearing dispositions per ALJ b 44 40 40 43
Average hearings pending per ALJ 708 723 661 534
SOURCES: Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings Operations. Actual data from Case Processing Management System (CPMS) Management Information.
NOTE: Number of ALJs and average monthly hearing dispositions per ALJ based on fiscal year average ALJ availability; average hearings pending per ALJ based on ALJs on duty. Data exclude Regional Chief ALJs.
a. Because of calendar variations and agency budgeting and accounting rules, one week occasionally falls between the end of one fiscal year and the beginning of the next. Although September 2016 included such a week, data for that week are not available. Values shown are as of the end of the 52nd week of fiscal year 2016.
b. Calculation excludes Attorney Adjudicator decisions.
CONTACT: Chuck Gramens (703) 605-8413 or statistics@ssa.gov.
Table 2.F9 Number of hearing level receipts, dispositions, and end-of-year pending cases, fiscal years 2016–2018
Program Hearing level receipts Hearing level dispositions End-of-year pending cases
2016 2017 2018 2016 2017 2018 2016 2017 2018
Total 712,853 620,164 567,911 652,241 685,657 765,554 1,121,519 1,056,026 858,383
OASI 1,342 1,269 1,235 1,392 1,228 1,375 1,481 1,525 1,382
Disability  
DI 255,434 224,385 204,366 223,434 244,708 278,596 402,498 381,411 306,589
SSI 209,312 185,603 172,757 185,281 195,747 223,878 327,670 317,409 266,167
DI and SSI 246,765 208,907 189,553 242,134 243,974 261,705 389,870 355,681 284,245
SOURCES: Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings Operations. Actual data from Case Processing Management System (CPMS) Management Information.
NOTES: Some claims are resclassifed from one program to another during their processing cycle. End-of-year adjustments account for those reclassifications.
Because of calendar variations and agency budgeting and accounting rules, one week occasionally falls between the end of one fiscal year and the beginning of the next. September 2016 included such a week, and the values shown for fiscal year 2016 include the activity for that week, as follows: for OASI, 31 receipts, 30 dispositions, and 1 additional pending case; for DI, 5,285 receipts, 5,118 dispositions and a reduction of 58 pending cases; for SSI, 4,314 receipts, 4,211 dispositions, and 53 additional pending cases; and for both DI and SSI, 4,644 receipts, 5,410 dispositions, and a reduction of 491 pending cases. In total, that week saw 14,274 receipts, 14,769 dispositions, and a reduction of 495 pending cases. Reclassifications (noted above) account for apparent discrepancies.
OASI = Old-Age and Survivors Insurance; DI = Disability Insurance; SSI = Supplemental Security Income.
CONTACT: Chuck Gramens (703) 605-8413 or statistics@ssa.gov.
Table 2.F11 Number of SSA Appeals Council cases, fiscal years 2015–2018
Cases 2015 2016 a 2017 2018
Beginning-of-year pending 150,383 149,147 127,134 94,471
Receipts 149,437 136,987 128,113 152,888
Dispositions 150,673 159,000 160,776 155,959
End-of-year pending 149,147 127,134 94,471 91,400
SOURCES: Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings Operations. Actual data from the Appeals Review Processing System (ARPS) Management Information.
a. Because of calendar variations and agency budgeting and accounting rules, one week occasionally falls between the end of one fiscal year and the beginning of the next. September 2016 included such a week, and the values shown for fiscal year 2016 include the 3,147 receipts and 4,598 dispositions (and the resulting reduction in pending cases by 1,451) that occurred in that week.
CONTACT: Chuck Gramens (703) 605-8413 or statistics@ssa.gov.