Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Auble maintains a lifetime approval rate of 46% across 11,948 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate trailed the NHC Falls Church office average by 5 percentage points and the national average by 12 percentage points. These figures are derived from a significant volume of cases, providing a stable view of his decision-making history.
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 Auble'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 8-year tenure, Judge Auble has maintained a consistent pattern of decision-making. While his approval rate fluctuated between 43% and 50% during his earlier years, recent data shows a 38% approval rate in 2023. This trend reflects the judge's current approach to evaluating evidence and medical documentation. These variations are common in long-term judicial careers and often mirror changes in case complexity or the specific evidence presented in hearings.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Auble'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 Auble? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Nhc Falls Church hearing office
The NHC Falls Church hearing office serves claimants throughout Virginia and the surrounding region. As part of the National Hearing Center network, this office manages a high volume of cases with a focus on efficiency and procedural accuracy. The office currently reports an approval rate of 51%, which serves as a baseline for the local bench. You can see the NHC Falls Church Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. At the NHC Falls Church hearing office, the office's 6 ALJs range from 46% to 69% in their lifetime approval rates. While you may be concerned about which judge hears your case, the core requirements for proving disability remain consistent. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same 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.