Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to regional and national benchmarks provides helpful context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Armbruster's lifetime approval rate of 60% is evaluated against the Phoenix North office's latest approval rate of 55% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 24,118 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of his decision-making history. These aggregate rates reflect historical trends rather than specific outcomes for your case.
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 Armbruster'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 his 10 years on the bench, Judge Armbruster has shown a clear upward trend in approval rates. Starting at 48% in 2016, the rate has climbed steadily, reaching 76% in 2025. This recent performance represents a notable shift from his historical lifetime average. Such patterns often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented. This trend suggests a consistent evolution in how he evaluates disability claims over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Armbruster'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.
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Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Phoenix North hearing office
The Phoenix North Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants across Arizona, managing a high volume of SSDI and SSI cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office operates under the broader SSA national standards while reflecting the specific needs of the local community. The office currently reports an approval rate of 55%, which serves as a baseline for the region. You can visit the Phoenix North 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 assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Phoenix North office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges vary significantly, ranging from 28% to 60%. Because each judge brings a unique approach to the courtroom, understanding the office-wide environment is useful. 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.