Approval rates
Judge Adamo has presided over 19,751 lifetime decisions during her 9-year tenure. Her latest approval rate of 53% compares to the Cleveland office average of 53% and the national average of 58%. These figures are based on a significant volume of cases, offering a look at historical trends. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for your individual hearing.
Office- and national-level breakdowns of fully favorable vs denial rates aren't currently published by SSA in the per-office disposition data. The judge's own breakdown is the detail we have today.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Adamo's docket. Annual rates fluctuate with the mix of cases SSA assigns; the longer-run pattern is more informative than any single year.
Decision pattern
Over her 9 years on the bench, Judge Adamo has seen fluctuations in her approval rates, ranging from a high of 62% in 2017 to a low of 37% in 2018. Her decision patterns have shown an upward trend in recent years, with the latest period reflecting a steady approach to case evaluation. This pattern suggests that while her historical average is 46%, her recent activity has aligned more closely with current office-wide benchmarks. These trends are useful for understanding the judge's history but do not dictate the outcome of your specific hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Adamo's bench. Judge-specific preparation guidance requires a corpus of public Appeals Council decisions involving each judge, which we haven't built yet.
- Bring a clean treating-physician record. Longitudinal primary-care or specialist notes spanning the disability period, with consistent symptom documentation, are typically the strongest evidence at hearing. A single month's records usually aren't enough.
- Don't rely on consultative exams alone. If your medical evidence is built primarily around a one-time CE finding, expect detailed questioning. Supplement with treating-source statements where possible.
- Prepare for daily-activity questions. Have honest, specific answers about a typical day. Answers that conflict with the medical record (in either direction) tend to hurt credibility.
- Expect transferable-skills probing. A vocational expert will usually testify about jobs available to someone with your limitations. Your representative should be prepared to cross-examine.
Hearing with Judge Adamo? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Cleveland hearing office
The Cleveland Hearing Office serves a large population across Ohio, managing a high volume of SSDI claims with a team of 6 administrative law judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 53%, reflecting the complex nature of the cases heard in this region. You can expect a rigorous review of your medical and vocational evidence. You can visit the Cleveland Hearing Office page for more information on the local docket.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. The Cleveland office features a diverse bench with lifetime approval rates ranging from 44% to 65%. Because of this variance, understanding the broader office environment is as important as looking at any single judge's history. You can review the full roster of judges at the Cleveland Hearing Office to see the range of experience on the bench.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
SSDI hearing approval rates — represented vs. on your own
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.