Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to regional and national benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Akers maintains a lifetime approval rate of 34%, which differs from the latest 46% office average and the 58% national average. These figures are drawn from a docket of 10,656 lifetime decisions accumulated over 9 years on the bench. 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 Akers'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-year tenure, Judge Akers has seen fluctuations in her approval patterns. After a period of lower approval rates between 2017 and 2021, the data shows an upward trend in 2022 and 2023, followed by a recent shift in the latest reporting period. With 10,656 lifetime decisions on record, these variations often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented. The recent data suggests a return toward her long-term average, indicating a stable approach to evaluating your disability claim.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Akers'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 Akers? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Orland Park hearing office
The Orland Park Hearing Office serves a large population in Illinois, managing a high volume of SSDI cases. The office currently reports a latest approval rate of 46%, reflecting the diverse range of claims processed in this region. You can expect a professional environment where adherence to 20 CFR 404.1520 disability evaluation standards is maintained. You can visit the Orland Park 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 your judge is selected randomly. Within the Orland Park Hearing Office, approval rates among the 6 judges vary significantly, ranging from 33% to 63% over their respective careers. This variance highlights why focusing on your own medical documentation is essential. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.