Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime performance against current office and national benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Anschuetz has presided over 15,065 lifetime decisions. While his lifetime rate is 47%, his most recent reporting period shows an approval rate of 63%. These figures are measured against the Louisville Hearing Office latest rate of 54% and the national average of 58%.
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 Anschuetz'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 decade on the bench, Judge Anschuetz has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. His approval rate has shown an upward trend in recent years, reaching 63% in the most recent reporting period. This shift reflects his recent activity, diverging from his long-term lifetime average of 47%.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Anschuetz'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 Anschuetz? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Louisville hearing office
The Louisville Hearing Office serves a broad population across Kentucky, managing a high volume of disability claims. With 6 judges currently on the bench, the office maintains an average approval rate of 54% in the latest reporting period. You can visit the Louisville 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. The bench at the Louisville Hearing Office consists of 6 judges, with lifetime approval rates ranging from 45% to 57%. Understanding the office-wide environment is as important as reviewing one individual's history.
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.