Pamela HoustonOdar Office, Administrative Law Judge
For the 2010 *fiscal year, Judge Pamela Houston has disposed 441 cases at the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) in ORLANDO, FLORIDA. Out of those 441 dispostions, 53 were dismissed, 194 were approved and 194 were denied. This means that the percentage of depositions that Judge Pamela Houston has approved in ORLANDO for the 2010 fiscal year is 19%. The information below for Judge Pamela Houston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORLANDO | 2010 | 441 | 388 | 194 | 194 | 12% | 44% | 44% |
| ORLANDO | 2012 | 656 | 537 | 217 | 320 | 18% | 49% | 33% |
| ORLANDO | 2015 | 591 | 494 | 254 | 240 | 16% | 41% | 43% |
| ORLANDO | 2014 | 635 | 513 | 197 | 316 | 19% | 50% | 31% |
| ORLANDO | 2013 | 686 | 573 | 183 | 390 | 16% | 57% | 27% |
| ORLANDO | 2011 | 643 | 546 | 301 | 245 | 15% | 38% | 47% |
| ORLANDO | 2016 | 566 | 455 | 181 | 274 | 20% | 48% | 32% |
| ORLANDO | 2017 | 563 | 465 | 184 | 281 | 17% | 50% | 33% |
| ORLANDO | 2018 | 224 | 182 | 89 | 93 | 19% | 42% | 40% |
| ORLANDO | 2019 | 453 | 375 | 210 | 165 | 17% | 36% | 46% |
| ORLANDO | 2020 | 292 | 237 | 120 | 117 | 19% | 40% | 41% |
AVERAGE TIME
| Dismissed | Approved | Denied | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pamela Houston | No Stats for FY2020 | ||
| All ALJs in ORLANDO | 17% | 46% | 37% |
| All ALJs in FLORIDA | 18% | 47% | 35% |
| All ALJs in the Nation | 18% | 45% | 38% |
25 Comments
I had her today and I have to say no matter what she rules she was kind and respectful to me. I will keep fighting and going on. She didn’t make me feel like a number today. I appreciated that. I am young so I fear that was a problem especially since reading these notes but in case I know how I feel and I felt like she listen to me and didn’t make me feel like I was crazy. (Sonny Joseph typing for her)
I had her today and I have to say no matter what she rules she was kind and respectful to me. I will keep fighting and going on. She didn’t make me feel like a number today. I appreciated that. I am young so I fear that was a problem especially since reading these notes but in case I know how I feel and I felt like she listen to me and didn’t make me feel like I was crazy.
thank you MRS. Pamela, for being so well treating veterans with several medical issues, including PTSD, severe back problems, and with all medicines i take everyday, this judge is in orlando?? can you believe she countersaid all i had on my medical evidence? with all due respect MRS. Pamela, try to get another career, because not only me, a medical discharged from the army is going to disagree with your decisions, any one is going to be.
As I perused these comments, which gave me a good hearty laugh, I thought I’d do something generous for my bretheren. Let me start by saying that I don’t always agree with this judge, but at least I’ve been smart enough to know how to present a case to her. Let me help you out. Don’t expect her to do your work for you. Do not allow your arrogance to over shadow your ability to ask relevant questions. She doesn’t care who helps your client with daily activities. And she’ll probably tell you that. Focus on what your client does. If your client says they do nothing all day, she won’t believe it. She’ll believe that they do what everyone else does, but that they struggle. Don’t walk in not knowing your evidence. She reviews it ahead of time and is well versed in much of it before you walk in. When you say she’s already made up her mind, I don’t completely agree with that. I say that because she has an idea of what she’ll do because she’s reviewed the evidence- she’s an evidence judge- all judges do that. But, if you point to the record and show how findings are consistent, she will hear you out. She expects really good evidence, which we don’t always have, but I think she’s starting to recognize how bad doctor’s notes in Florida can be. Be advised she was a med mal trial attorney for many years, so she’s got a grip on medical records. If you leave the hearing relying only on your client’s testimony and the medical evidence, you’ve not done your job. The evidence, many times, can be weak. So, start out by being very direct about the evidence. She will appreciate that. Point to evidence that is consistent. Don’t expect her to wrap it up in a pretty bow for you. I agree that younger claimants may have a harder time in front of her. She’s tough. But, try a different approach. Simple, direct, wrap it up with VALID references to the record. And, ask reasonable hypotheticals that are supported by the medical evidence. Again- tie it to the record. Also, don’t tell your client to moan and groan during the hearing. Be honest about drug and alcohol use. I know an attorney in her office who says she is incredibly diligent in what goes into her decisions. I’ve had smokers before her, and haven’t experienced the problems that are on this site, but I think you all need to understand/change how you are presenting your evidence.
The reason I submitted this is because I think these comments on here are entirely undeserved. Probably 10% of the statements on here are true, the rest are from mere frustration. Regardless, taking personal shots at this judge’s family are down right rude, unprofessional and give our profession a bad name. So, take a deep breath and take my advise above. Focus on the evidence, not a wish. I will clarify that I don’t always like her decisions- but I will admit I’ve had some on the fence cases as well. I’ve been doing better since I tweaked my presentation. In all honesty, I do NOT mind at all appearing in her courtroom anytime.
If you smoke and have pulmonary issues, she’ll deny you. If you smoke and have cardiac conditions she’ll deny you. She once said in a decision (that the claimants read, by the way) that because the claimant attempted suicide, but failed, it couldn’t have been as serious as alleged. The reason she appears nice during the hearing is largely because she’s not listening to what’s being said. She’s already made up her mind. She must have been trained by ALJ Jones. And she has a young son… is she raising him to be a miserable person too?
Those are fair comments about her stats. Frankly, I have personally been before Judge Houston with very borderline cases. So, I do not endorse the comments of someone else on here who alleged inconsistency in her rulings. I’ve seen no evidence of that. My specific critique is limited to how I think Social Security Ruling 96-7p should be applied–specifically: all materially relevant testimony should be referenced and discussed in making credibility determinations. Of course, many if not most ALJs give this rule somewhat summary treatment at times. For the record, she is very polite to representatives and clients, and allows representatives to fully state their case. I retract a prior statement I made on this thread which was mainly tongue and cheek, responding to a posting on 3/22 that I found a little too saccharin.
I have worked with Judge Houston for quite a few years, and have found her work to be some of the best around. She knows the law and knows how to apply it. However, there are a couple of representatives that go to the Orlando office who are terribly sub-par and lack knowledge as to how to present a case. They try to schmooze their way through cases with the judges. It’s apparent that the comments above derive from one of these representatives who fails to realize his own shortcomings. Look at her percentages above! She doesn’t have as many denials as other judges. It’s probably the representative trying to make his quick $6,000. And because she didn’t approve his case, he pouted and decided to make derogatory comments about the judge.
Thanks for chiming in with you self-assessment, Pamela. Those who have seen your often poorly reasoned denials would quarrel that you are “very fine” or “one of the best in Orlando.”
A very fine judge, one of the best judges in the Orlando office
Inconsistent in her rulings. She gets remanded by the Appeals Counsel often. A judge you can’t trust to rule correctly. If your client is under the age of 50, she will find a way to deny the claim. By far one of the more unfair judges on the bench.