Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Asbille maintains a 73% lifetime approval rate, which stands 15 percentage points above the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 11,224 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of past trends. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than serving as 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 Asbille'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 four-year tenure, Judge Asbille has presided over 11,224 decisions. The yearly trend shows a peak in 2017 at 77%, followed by a shift to 69% by 2019. This pattern reflects the judge's long-term commitment to the administrative process.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Asbille'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 Asbille? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Evanston hearing office
The Evanston Hearing Office serves a significant population across Illinois, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 56%, which provides a baseline for the region. You should expect a professional environment focused on the specific medical and vocational evidence of your case. You can see the Evanston Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your judge is assigned randomly. Within the Evanston Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 46% to 76%. This variance highlights why preparation remains essential regardless of your specific assignment. You can review the office's full roster on the Evanston Hearing Office page.
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.