Approval rates
Judge Andrews maintains a lifetime approval rate of 70%, which compares favorably against the current national average of 58% and the local office average of 55%. This data is derived from a docket of 21,637 lifetime decisions. Understanding how these figures align with your own medical evidence is a critical step in your hearing preparation. Aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting your individual outcome.
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 Andrews'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, the approval rate for Judge Andrews has shown an upward trend, moving from 64% in 2016 to 75% in 2025. This performance suggests a stable approach to evaluating disability claims. The latest reporting period reflects a continuation of this pattern, with the judge maintaining an approval rate significantly higher than the office-wide average. This trajectory indicates that the judge's current decision-making remains aligned with their long-term historical average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Andrews'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 Andrews? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the West Des Moines hearing office
The West Des Moines Hearing Office serves you across Iowa and surrounding areas, managing a volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate that reflects the complex nature of the cases heard in this region. You can expect a formal process focused on the specific medical and vocational evidence presented in your file. You can visit the West Des Moines 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 assigned judge is essentially random. Across the West Des Moines bench, lifetime approval rates vary, ranging from 38% to 70% among the office's 6 judges. Because of this variance, focus on the strength of your medical evidence regardless of your assignment. 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.