Robert J PharesOdar Office, Administrative Law Judge
For the 2010 *fiscal year, Judge Robert J Phares has disposed 618 cases at the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR) in RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA. Out of those 618 dispostions, 69 were dismissed, 379 were approved and 170 were denied. This means that the percentage of depositions that Judge Robert J Phares has approved in RALEIGH for the 2010 fiscal year is 16%. The information below for Judge Robert J Phares 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RALEIGH | 2010 | 618 | 549 | 170 | 379 | 11% | 61% | 28% |
| RALEIGH | 2012 | 707 | 604 | 240 | 364 | 15% | 51% | 34% |
| RALEIGH | 2015 | 597 | 503 | 202 | 301 | 16% | 50% | 34% |
| RALEIGH | 2014 | 603 | 498 | 155 | 343 | 17% | 57% | 26% |
| RALEIGH | 2013 | 650 | 549 | 191 | 358 | 16% | 55% | 29% |
| RALEIGH | 2011 | 704 | 625 | 258 | 367 | 11% | 52% | 37% |
| RALEIGH | 2016 | 557 | 458 | 160 | 298 | 18% | 54% | 29% |
| RALEIGH | 2017 | 524 | 440 | 142 | 298 | 16% | 57% | 27% |
| RALEIGH | 2018 | 247 | 208 | 83 | 125 | 16% | 51% | 34% |
AVERAGE TIME
| Dismissed | Approved | Denied | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert J Phares | No Stats for FY2018 | ||
| All ALJs in RALEIGH | 15% | 48% | 37% |
| All ALJs in NORTH CAROLINA | 15% | 50% | 35% |
| All ALJs in the Nation | 18% | 45% | 38% |
8 Comments
I saw him for a disabililty case in 2014. My lawyer said the system was weighted against me because I was a middle aged man-they simply don’t want to have to pay benefits over a long period of time. I had chronic fatigue syndrome, muscle pain and fatigue, sound and light sensitivity, chronic headaches, anxiety and depression. The guy was a ****. He was very interested in my student loan discharge as if he was building a motive for me to fake disability. He was sloppy in reviewing my records. For example, he ignored my depression medication history and stated that I was noncompliant. Nobody was credible to him-not my doctor, the hired SSA doctors, myself. I appealed and had an evaluation by a neuropsychologist who diagnosed me as somatoform disorder which was an automatic win. I hope Phares comes back as a disabled patient and gets rejected. ****.
My ALJ Hearing was on 11/12/2015, and my decision was posted today (11/23/2015). That decision is fully favorable. This really made my day. I feel horrible today. I have Bronchitis again, and can not stop coughing to save my life. I lost my voice due to this. I have two doctors appointments tomorrow. Praying I don’t have pneumonia. However, after feeling sooooo bad over the last month, today’s decision seem to lighten the load. This process has taken a toll on my body, but today the burden has lifted a little. One less thing to stress over; therefore, tomorrow I pray the burdens are lifted even more. I found this judge to be fair and I am not saying this because my decision was fully favorable, but because after the hearing I didn’t feel like I was discriminated against. He asked me and my attorney questions. My attorney asked me questions and then he allowed me to say what I wanted to add to the process. The day I showed up at the hearing was not one of my worse days, today is really a bad day for me health wise. He had already reviewed my medical records and knew my autoimmune diseases along with my other conditions. Now, that’s a judge doing his job and not getting to comfortable with the process. Just let him know any recent additions to your health problems that may not be in your medical records. Be honest, have integrity, and most of all BE YOU.
Robert Phares is a stern but fair judge. If you are truly disabled he will grant you a favorable decision.
My wife had to appear in front of judge Phares. I was a witness to her case and spoke with him. The first impression of him was that he was a hard judge to deal with,but after a few minutes of speaking with him you start to understand that he just wants to be professional and unbiased in the case. My opinion is that if you really deserve disability then you will get it. if not then don’t even try to be shady… he will see right though you!!!!!!
I’ve always found him to be very fair and kind.
This is a follow up to my review submitted on 5/22/2012. I won on a remand following appeal but I am very suspicious it was because I requested two senators follow the case to keep Phares honest. With the flashlight of oversight on him his second determination, in my favor, suddenly admitted that evidence I had submitted previously(letters from witnesses and past medication history) was now relevant. Neuropsychological testing which proved I had a somatoform disorder trumped the state hired disability psychiatrist Meymandi who said there was nothing wrong with me mentally. If you don’t have objective lab testing/physical findings proving you are sick according to established criteria you don’t have a chance of winning.
Phares is a biased judge. In reviewing my case he failed to do proper credibility testing and cherry picked evidence to deny the case. This included dismissing my doctor’s testimony and statements from witnesses. He seemed particularly interested that I had gaps in my employment and seemed mad that he couldn’t just disqualify me for not earning money. There must be a circle in **** for disability judges. I don’t know how they can sleep at night.
really think he is a fair judge