Approval rates
Judge Baird has maintained a consistent record over a decade of service, with a lifetime approval rate of 52% based on 14,644 total decisions. In the most recent reporting period, the approval rate reached 62%, which is 1 percentage point below the current Buffalo office average and 6 points below the national average. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding the judge's 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 Baird'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Baird has seen fluctuating approval patterns, ranging from a low of 38% in 2021 to a high of 62% in 2025. The data indicates a period of growth in approval rates following the 2021 dip, suggesting that recent case outcomes have trended upward. The current pattern shows a judge who has been more likely to grant benefits in recent years compared to the earlier part of their tenure.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Baird'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 Baird? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Buffalo hearing office
The Buffalo Hearing Office serves a significant population across New York, managing a high volume of disability claims with a team of 6 administrative law judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 53%, reflecting the regional trends in disability adjudication. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical records and vocational history. You can visit the Buffalo Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to Judge Baird is essentially random. Within the Buffalo Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 46% to 56%. Because every judge operates with different preferences for testimony and medical documentation, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful.
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.