Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Addison maintains an 81% lifetime approval rate across 18,786 lifetime decisions, which stands in contrast to the current 65% office average and the 58% national average. These figures are derived from a decade of data. 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 Addison'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Addison has shown a distinct evolution in her decision-making. Following an initial period of high approval rates, the data shows a shift toward a more moderate range between 2018 and 2019, before trending upward again in recent years. The latest reporting period shows an 80% approval rate, which remains consistent with her long-term performance. This trend suggests a stable approach to case evaluation that has persisted throughout her tenure.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Addison'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 Addison? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Jersey City hearing office
The Jersey City Hearing Office serves claimants throughout the New Jersey region, managing a high volume of disability cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 65%, reflecting the broader administrative environment in which your case will be heard. You can expect a review process focused on your medical documentation and vocational evidence. You may visit the Jersey City Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Jersey City Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 47% to 81%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the evidence, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful.
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.