U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) / Social Security Administration / General Attorney

Job-title file

General Attorney

Provide legal advice, draft and review documents, and represent the agency in legal matters.

3,368 employees hold this title in Social Security Administration. Median total compensation for the role is $122,592, above the department median of $92,904.

Employees: 3,368
Total payroll: $434.3M
Role median: $122,592
Agency median: $92,904
Comparison: Above

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$0$195,971+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 3,368 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compared with the local labor market

General Attorney pay vs. the United States

Across all employers in the United States, the median wage for Lawyers — about 754,500 people — is $159,670. Social Security Administration pays a median base salary of $122,592 for this role, 23% below that figure — about the 34th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where Social Security Administration sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$78,360

$102,990

$159,670

$221,370

$351,600

Social Security Administration median · $122,592

The bar is the range of annual wages for Lawyers across every employer in the United States, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Social Security Administration’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.

Computed over the 3,361 of 3,368 people in this role paid at least $25,000in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.

Median total compensation for this role at Social Security Administration is $122,592, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.

Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.

Compare departments

This role across U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

General Attorney is held in 98 U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) departments. In Social Security Administration, the median of $122,592 ranks #95 of 98.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation

$322,736 · 2

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

$252,927 · 273

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

$251,693 · 354

Securities and Exchange Commission

$233,730 · 2,163

Federal Reserve System

$216,602 · 375

National Science Foundation

$203,415 · 32

Presidio Trust

$200,888 · 4

Federal Permitting Improvement Steer

$197,900 · 3

Denali Commission

$191,900 · 1

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

$191,900 · 5

Department of Treasury

$191,900 · 392

Department of State

$191,900 · 325

Median total compensation for the General Attorney role in other U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)departments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Compare jurisdictions

General Attorney beyond U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense)

This role is reported in 2 jurisdictions. In U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense), the median of $178,914 ranks #1 of 2. See General Attorney across all of U.S. Federal Government (non-Defense) →

Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role

New York Public Authorities

$124,825 · 8

Median total compensation for comparable General Attorneyroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 8

Robey Parks

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,624

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,624
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,624
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Baltimore
Work county: Baltimore
Work state: Maryland

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,624
Basic Pay (before locality): $103,275
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 240050510
Length of Service (Years): 11
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Robey Parks is a General Attorney at Social Security Administration based in Baltimore, Maryland. 2024 total compensation came to $137,624. They are classified at grade 13.

Annalee Seath

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,624

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,624
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,624
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Baltimore
Work county: Baltimore
Work state: Maryland

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,624
Basic Pay (before locality): $103,275
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 240050510
Length of Service (Years): 11
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Annalee Seath works as a General Attorney for Social Security Administration based in Baltimore, Maryland. Annalee earned $137,624 in 2024. Their pay grade is 13.

Seth Yaffo

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,624

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,624
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,624
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,624
Basic Pay (before locality): $103,275
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 13
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Seth Yaffo works as a General Attorney for Social Security Administration based in Washington, District of Columbia. Seth earned $137,624 in 2024. Their pay grade is 13.

Daniel O'Connor

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,624

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,624
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,624
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,624
Basic Pay (before locality): $103,275
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 8
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Daniel O'Connor is a General Attorney at Social Security Administration based in Washington, District of Columbia. 2024 total compensation came to $137,624. They are classified at grade 13.

Amber Przybysz

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,624

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,624
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,624
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,624
Basic Pay (before locality): $103,275
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 9
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Social Security Administration, Amber Przybysz serves as a General Attorney based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $137,624. They are classified at grade 13.

Joel Sage

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,624

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,624
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,624
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,624
Basic Pay (before locality): $103,275
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 11
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Joel Sage is a General Attorney at Social Security Administration based in Washington, District of Columbia. 2024 total compensation came to $137,624. They are classified at grade 13.

Reed Wycuff

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,624

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,624
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,624
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Baltimore
Work county: Baltimore
Work state: Maryland

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,624
Basic Pay (before locality): $103,275
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 240050510
Length of Service (Years): 12
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Social Security Administration, Reed Wycuff serves as a General Attorney based in Baltimore, Maryland. Their 2024 pay totaled $137,624. They are classified at grade 13.

Cynthia Zhang

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,624

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,624
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,624
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,624
Basic Pay (before locality): $103,275
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 13
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Cynthia Zhang works as a General Attorney for Social Security Administration based in Washington, District of Columbia. Cynthia earned $137,624 in 2024. Their pay grade is 13.

Ari Levin

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,624

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,624
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,624
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,624
Basic Pay (before locality): $103,275
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 8
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Social Security Administration, Ari Levin serves as a General Attorney based in Washington, District of Columbia. Their 2024 pay totaled $137,624. They are classified at grade 13.

Ellen Gehris

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,624

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,624
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,624
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Washington
Work county: District of Columbia
Work state: District of Columbia

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,624
Basic Pay (before locality): $103,275
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 110010001
Length of Service (Years): 9
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Ellen Gehris works as a General Attorney for Social Security Administration based in Washington, District of Columbia. Ellen earned $137,624 in 2024. Their pay grade is 13.

Jonathan Morgan

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,624

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,624
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,624
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Woodlawn
Work county: Baltimore
Work state: Maryland

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,624
Basic Pay (before locality): $103,275
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 241698005
Length of Service (Years): 13
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Jonathan Morgan works as a General Attorney for Social Security Administration based in Woodlawn, Maryland. Jonathan earned $137,624 in 2024. Their pay grade is 13.

Michelle Brignone

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,299

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,299
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,299
Pay grade: 13
Work city: San Francisco
Work county: San Francisco
Work state: California

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,299
Basic Pay (before locality): $94,422
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 063290075
Length of Service (Years): 5
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Michelle Brignone works as a General Attorney for Social Security Administration based in San Francisco, California. Michelle earned $137,299 in 2024. Their pay grade is 13.

Lisa Pfost

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,299

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,299
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,299
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Richmond
Work county: Contra Costa
Work state: California

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,299
Basic Pay (before locality): $94,422
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 063010013
Length of Service (Years): 13
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Lisa Pfost holds the role of General Attorney at Social Security Administration based in Richmond, California. In 2024, their total compensation was $137,299. Their pay grade is 13.

Robert Carlton

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,243

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,243
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,243
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Charlotte
Work county: Mecklenburg
Work state: North Carolina

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,243
Basic Pay (before locality): $115,079
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 370870119
Length of Service (Years): 41
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Robert Carlton is a General Attorney at Social Security Administration based in Charlotte, North Carolina. 2024 total compensation came to $137,243. They are classified at grade 13.

John Belknap

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,192

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,192
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,192
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Portland
Work county: Multnomah
Work state: Oregon

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,192
Basic Pay (before locality): $109,177
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 411650051
Length of Service (Years): 14
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

At Social Security Administration, John Belknap serves as a General Attorney based in Portland, Oregon. Their 2024 pay totaled $137,192. They are classified at grade 13.

Ruth Heller

General Attorney/Social Security Administration

2024 total comp

$137,192

Sub-department: Social Security Administration
Base pay: $137,192
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $137,192
Pay grade: 13
Work city: Portland
Work county: Multnomah
Work state: Oregon

Source-specific fields

Adjusted Basic Pay (incl. locality): $137,192
Basic Pay (before locality): $109,177
Country: United States
Duty Station Code: 411650051
Length of Service (Years): 13
Occupation Code (OPM): 0905
Pay Plan (OPM): GS

Ruth Heller is a General Attorney at Social Security Administration based in Portland, Oregon. 2024 total compensation came to $137,192. They are classified at grade 13.