Click on each thumbnail to view a report on average age of pending cases at each Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) office.
Note that the report averages the length of time that each case pending at an ODAR office has been pending. That includes cases that have just arrived and those that are about to be heard. If cases were arriving and departing an ODAR office at a constant rate, the average age of pending would be exactly half of the length of time a claimant could expect to wait for a hearing.
My opinion is that the average age of pending number is confusing and virtually meaningless, but it has been used for a long time. Perhaps, Social Security does not mind that it causes some people to think that the backlog situation is not nearly as bad as it is.
Note that the report averages the length of time that each case pending at an ODAR office has been pending. That includes cases that have just arrived and those that are about to be heard. If cases were arriving and departing an ODAR office at a constant rate, the average age of pending would be exactly half of the length of time a claimant could expect to wait for a hearing.
My opinion is that the average age of pending number is confusing and virtually meaningless, but it has been used for a long time. Perhaps, Social Security does not mind that it causes some people to think that the backlog situation is not nearly as bad as it is.
