Approval rates
Judge Ryan A. Alger has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 56% over 20,664 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, this rate reached 59%, which is 4 percentage points below the current Hartford office average and 2 percentage points below the national average. These statistics are based on a decade of cases. 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 Alger'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 a 10-year tenure, Judge Ryan A. Alger has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. The yearly trend shows approval rates fluctuating between a low of 46% in 2018 and a high of 68% in 2024. The most recent data indicates a stabilization toward the lifetime average. This pattern suggests that the judge's decision-making process remains grounded in the evidentiary requirements of each individual claim.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Alger'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 Alger? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Hartford hearing office
The Hartford Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Connecticut. This office manages a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges, maintaining an office-wide latest approval rate of 60%. You can expect a formal proceeding focused on the medical and vocational evidence presented in your file. You can visit the Hartford Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
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. Within the Hartford Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary, ranging from 27% to 56%. While you may be concerned about which judge is assigned to your case, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent regardless of the judge.
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.