This unconfirmed news indicates that Social Security is planning for a significant expansion of hearing offices sites and judicial staff to address the backlog at the heaing offices:
“To provide the level of staffing needed to address rising appeals workloads, the agency is increasing the number of Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) being hired from 1,450 to 1,600. The additional ALJs will be added in Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 and 2012. To ensure that there is sufficient space available to house the additional staff and to address workload issues around the nation, the Commissioner has decided to increase the number of ODAR hearing and satellite offices. The final locations have been selected for 10 offices, with 5 additional locations to be finalized. The new offices are projected to be opened in the second or third quarter of Fiscal Year 2011. The new locations selected by the Commissioner are as follows:
Hearing Offices:
Rochester, New York
Paterson, New Jersey
Augusta, Georgia
Hoover, Alabama
St. Paul, Minnesota
El Paso, Texas
Columbia, Missouri
Moreno Valley, California
Satellite Office
Reno, Nevada
National Hearing Center
St. Louis, Missouri
Offices Pending Final Location Decisions
Hearing Offices
Tennessee – Jackson or Franklin
Indiana – Muncie or Terre Haute
Satellite Offices
Marquette, MI/Upper Peninsula area
Eureka, CA area
Montana – Helena or Missoula”