Approval rates
In the most recent reporting period, your judge maintained a 71% approval rate, which is 12 points higher than the current Houston-Bissonnet office average of 56% and 10 points above the 58% national average. These figures are derived from a docket of 20,754 lifetime decisions. These rates reflect historical trends rather than specific outcomes for your claim.
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 Bach'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 her 10-year career, your judge has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. While approval rates fluctuated in her early years, the trend has shown a steady increase since 2018, reaching 73% in the most recent 2025 reporting period. This performance reflects a stable pattern of decision-making that remains notably higher than the office-wide average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Bach'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 Bach? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Houston-Bissonnet hearing office
The Houston-Bissonnet Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants. With a bench of 6 judges, this office manages a high volume of cases, currently maintaining an office-wide approval rate of 56%. You can expect a formal hearing process focused on the medical evidence supporting your claim. You can visit the Houston-Bissonnet Hearing Office page for more information on the office roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Approval rates across the 6 judges at the Houston-Bissonnet office vary significantly, ranging from 44% to 72% over their respective careers. Understanding the general tendencies of the bench at your assigned office is a standard part of your preparation process.
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.