Approval rates
Judge Ball maintains a lifetime approval rate of 42%, derived from 5,984 lifetime decisions during his tenure. Compared to the latest reporting period, his approval rate sits 20 percentage points below the Orange Hearing Office average and 16 percentage points below the national average. These statistics provide a baseline for understanding the judicial environment at this office. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not 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 Ball'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 4 years on the bench, Judge Ball has seen fluctuations in his annual approval rates. His yearly trend shows a range from a low of 35% in 2018 to a high of 50% in 2019. These shifts often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the specific evidence presented during those periods. This pattern demonstrates that while his lifetime average is stable, his decisions have varied over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Ball'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 Ball? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Orange hearing office
The Orange Hearing Office serves a large population in California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate that tracks near national trends. You can expect a formal process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Orange Hearing Office page for more information on the local roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to Judge Ball is essentially random. The Orange Hearing Office bench consists of 6 judges, with lifetime approval rates ranging from 42% to 59%. Because rates vary significantly across the office, you may find yourself before a judge with a different statistical history. You can review the full office roster on the Orange 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.