Dale A Garwal, Santa barbara , California Odar Office, Administrative Law Judge
For the 2010 *fiscal year, Judge Dale A Garwal has disposed 4 cases at the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) in LOS ANGELES WEST, CALIFORNIA. Out of those 4 dispostions, 0 were dismissed, 0 were approved and 4 were denied. This means that the percentage of depositions that Judge Dale A Garwal has approved in LOS ANGELES WEST for the 2010 fiscal year is 13%. The information below for Judge Dale A Garwal was last updated on 04/28/2023.
AVERAGE STATISTICS
| Office | *Fiscal Year | Total Depositions | Total Decisions | Total Denials | Total Awards | Cases Dismissed | Cases Approved | Cases Denied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOS ANGELES WEST | 2010 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0% | 0% | 100% |
| SANTA BARBARA | 2010 | 735 | 622 | 218 | 404 | 15% | 55% | 30% |
| SANTA BARBARA | 2012 | 702 | 605 | 261 | 344 | 14% | 49% | 37% |
| SANTA BARBARA | 2015 | 546 | 444 | 183 | 261 | 19% | 48% | 34% |
| SANTA BARBARA | 2014 | 607 | 498 | 191 | 307 | 18% | 51% | 31% |
| SANTA BARBARA | 2013 | 665 | 535 | 204 | 331 | 20% | 50% | 31% |
| SANTA BARBARA | 2011 | 750 | 659 | 263 | 396 | 12% | 53% | 35% |
| SANTA BARBARA | 2016 | 406 | 355 | 154 | 201 | 13% | 50% | 38% |
AVERAGE TIME
| Dismissed | Approved | Denied | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dale A Garwal | No Stats for FY2016 | ||
| All ALJs in LOS ANGELES WEST | 22% | 44% | 34% |
| All ALJs in CALIFORNIA | 19% | 45% | 35% |
| All ALJs in the Nation | 18% | 45% | 38% |
5 Comments
Dear Mr. Garwell,
I remain in constant pain, almost blind. I see no reason you totally ignored the letter my doctor wrote on September 22, 2014.
My case is in need of attention. Please reconsider my case. I have done nothing wrong, just trying to survive.
I have a doctor appointment for tomorrow @ 11 a.m.
Sincerely, Randy Scott Weaver
Dear Dale A. Garwell,
For years you have been denying my request, after getting numerous doctors responses stating that I was not at fault and I continue to remain in severe pain; you continue to ignore it.
You have no idea how much pain you have put me through! What I want to know is WHY? I don’t even know you, have visited the Ventura office and keep getting the cold shoulder.
What makes you so cold & bitter?
All I’m trying to do is relieve the extreme pain I have received from numerous accidents.
The only thing I can come up with is you are an evil person and have no buisness working for social security.
I live with pain. Just want to get relief.
Sincerely, Randy Scott Weaver
Couldn’t select the actual judge that heard my husband’s case in SB because he must either be new to the Santa Barbara office, or he just came in to help clear some cases out of the queue. I will post our experience on his page in Iowa, and on this SB page. I am writing the information that we were seeking when trying to get an understanding of what to expect.
Disability: Heart infraction number of 20, pacemaker and defibrillator
Final Decision in this case was: Fully Approved
Overall timeline from initial filing to payment receipt: ~3.5 years
For those that want to know what to expect from a timeline perspective in this office, here is how it worked for us.
Judge Henry Koltys heard my husband’s case. He had a poker face the whole time, seemed like he was going to be fair in his ruling. He wasn’t warm and fuzzy, but straight to the point & thorough, which is what I would want from someone making decisions about tax payer dollars. He questioned my husband first, for 30-40 minutes, then he sent my husband out, and called me in and asked me some questions about our daily life and accommodations that are made for my husband’s heart condition.
– Filed for disability in mid to late 2012 with a disability effective date of January of 2012.
– Appealed denials twice.
– After final appeal was sent, and a request for a hearing was made, it took 12 months to get a court date
– received hearing date approximately 6 weeks before the hearing
– October 14, 2015: Hearing (approximately 1 hour total)
– November 21, 2015: received the “fully approved” decision
– December 19, 2015: Partial back-pay payment received
Still waiting on the following:
– Award Letter outlining benefits
– remaining back-payment
– back-payment for dependents of the disabled
Please note: this rating is for Judge Henry Koltys and not for Judge Dale Garwal
He was very rude and disrespectful towards myself, and my mother who was attending my hearing. He often stopped us from stating our case, saying he wasn’t concerned with how my seizures affect family life; to us, that was key to our defense.
He rudely told me that I have to continue to see a doctor even though I absolutely cannot afford to, and they haven’t helped.
His disrespect caused me to become stressed out, and have a small panic attack during the hearing, going into muscle spams in my right arm. I pointed this out, and he ignored it.
He also refused to listen to the fact that I have been out of work for eight years, except two that lasted one month, and one that lasted two weeks. He then told me I can work a house cleaning job at gainful levels, I had to laugh out loud because I had just stated that I couldn’t even keep my own home clean, how could I clean multiple homes each day every day? I spend most of my time in bed, unable to move, on a good day I require a cane to help keep me moving.
He refused to really listen to anything we said, he was condescending, rude, disrespectful, and accusatory.
I walked out of the hearing devastated and angered at him, and ended up in full seizure in my mom’s car because of him.
He denied me, calling me a lair (“over exaggerate”). This was my second full run through with Disability. Garwal also made the denial at the hearing on my first run through. I’ve been fighting since 2006, and reapplied in 2010. Still fighting for my life that discompassionate people like Garwal are trying to deny.
If you have this judge, tell him to go away and send in another, I know will for my third attempt at Disability…
He had a very pleasant demeanor and as a result, I felt at ease and relaxed which increased my confidence. I felt my hearing went well. If it turns out that I am denied, I will not give up!