George W Merchant, Nhc st louis , Missouri Odar Office, Administrative Law Judge
For the 2012 *fiscal year, Judge George W Merchant has disposed 247 cases at the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) in BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA. Out of those 247 dispostions, 56 were dismissed, 50 were approved and 141 were denied. This means that the percentage of depositions that Judge George W Merchant has approved in BIRMINGHAM for the 2012 fiscal year is 15%. The information below for Judge George W Merchant 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIRMINGHAM | 2012 | 247 | 191 | 141 | 50 | 23% | 20% | 57% |
| NHC ST LOUIS | 2012 | 200 | 170 | 123 | 47 | 15% | 24% | 62% |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2015 | 473 | 404 | 243 | 161 | 15% | 34% | 51% |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2014 | 503 | 402 | 245 | 157 | 20% | 31% | 49% |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2013 | 586 | 472 | 335 | 137 | 19% | 23% | 57% |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2016 | 485 | 416 | 264 | 152 | 14% | 31% | 54% |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2017 | 499 | 414 | 243 | 171 | 17% | 34% | 49% |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2018 | 210 | 169 | 113 | 56 | 20% | 27% | 54% |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2019 | 377 | 295 | 186 | 109 | 22% | 29% | 49% |
| BIRMINGHAM | 2020 | 322 | 274 | 154 | 120 | 15% | 37% | 48% |
AVERAGE TIME
| Dismissed | Approved | Denied | |
|---|---|---|---|
| George W Merchant | No Stats for FY2020 | ||
| All ALJs in BIRMINGHAM | 18% | 43% | 39% |
| All ALJs in ALABAMA | 18% | 46% | 36% |
| All ALJs in the Nation | 18% | 45% | 38% |
14 Comments
Im back again on here,bc it seems like i cant get any help for anyone,still been signed up for 3yrs,already went through my back surgery ( where im messed up for life) now admitted in hospital due to me got diagnosed with copd (emphysema) couldnt breathe on my own,and still cant..im on breathing treatments everyday at home,and now they gotta give me them,and oxygen,ive got a lawyer,but he seems to be not doing much for me,this judge denied me,thats why its at the appeals council’s office,he said i could work,but alot of days i cant even bend over to put my shoes on,and then this has happened…..do yaull know how hard this to loose my job in the 1st place,car,home etc from being sick like this…i dont think so,but ive seen yaull approve ppl less than 5months for bipolar or asthma attacks….i find this really crazy,but i wished i knew who to turn to get me someone else to help me,and that’s not hurting me….pls someone let me know how long the appeals council’s is gonna keep my case? Or are they gonna approve me,or send me back in front of another judge or what….thanks
I just don’t why I got denied from this judge..(george merchant)…I have anxiety,depression,and I have degentergive disc disease,and osterartritis. My spine and tail bone is not connected…so therefore I’m on a walker,BC I loose my balance,and I’m waiting on surgery on July 1st 2015.on my back,and a bone removed from my hip..and I got denied..really I waited 3 yes for this..and they approve ppl on drugs,and that is able to work…what kind of crap is this??? This is so unfair,I will be asking for another judge to look at my case when I appeal my case….this is so wrong how I got treated….I hope nobody else gets this judge..I’m sorry but this is so unfair..I just think the ones that has a drug addiction,and that is able to work,needs to stop drawing the disiabilty then,BC u only given them money to supply their habit.. Ssshh this is so crazy,this judge,and this system is messed up…pls explain how u do this to a disabled person that can’t work….
Why are you George Merchant a disability judge? Enjoy the feeling of POWER? Your Professionalism is not impressive, especially when you are destroying the lives of people more than fairly helping them!
wow, This Judge will look for any excuse to dismiss or deny a case! Very Lame ones indeed! I know many disabled folk that are dependent on professional trained pets to assist them to function. This Judge dismissed my niece’s case that suffers from M.E. because she and her husband has a Lab that is older very docile, this dog helps her severe depression! He mentioned in the Denial letter because she cares for this pet she should be able to work..HOW Insulting! praying for this Judge to have a more caring and empathetic heart while he practices in Alabama~
I agree whole heartedly with the comment that this judge is heartless and disconcerned for the well-being of the claiments. Percentages on this site do not lie. Obviously he only approves less than a quarter of all cases. So if you experience a unfavorable decision from this judge, despite being dishearten with the system, you are not alone! His statistics seem quite unbalanced coupled with a whim of something smelly~ Try to find out before hand who your judge may be before hand because your chances of winning is very slim. In addition if you appeal to council or start all over, its within your rights to request another judge~ God Bless
As a person has been in this business for years, I felt obligated to note that I disagree with the poster below who referred to Judge Merchant in such a disrespectful manner. Yes, he reads the whole record- to include the treatment notes. He does confront the claimants; however, he is very compassionate and respectful to all who come into his hearing room. For future claimants, be wary of what you read on sites like these. Listen to your representative and be truthful.
Twisting evidence, Minimizing the seriousness of the claiments testimony..to the extent of “Poking fun of them”, humiliating a person in the determination letter by outright ignoring significant medical details rather highlighting all the non Important information.
ALJ Merchant is clearly knowledgeable of the SSA statutes and assertive in his hearings. On the conservative side for dispositions, but his decisions do not tend to be unreasonable.
Thorough, precise, articulate, well-spoken, and well-prepared. Don’t go into a hearing with this ALJ expecting a cake walk.
This judge is nonetheless heartless and disconcerned of the well-being of Alabama’s disabled citizens.Obviously he gets his income and doesnt think of what clients he presides over need to survive on a daily basis.He did not look at the basic facts of my trial and after waiting for 18 months with no income and the inability to work my case was denied. Being someone with a life-threatening illness I could have filed for another appeal but that would have put me waiting at least another 18 months before it would proceed to the appeals court. Instead I decided to reapply hoping that the seriousness of my disablities would be re-evaluated by someone with a little more understanding of what it is to want to do better for yourself when you cant.