Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to the broader office and national averages provides helpful context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Banas maintains a 70% lifetime approval rate across 756 decisions, which is higher than the 63% office average and the 58% national average. These figures offer a statistical snapshot of his tenure, though they are not a guarantee of any specific outcome.
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 Banas'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
With 1 year on the bench and 756 lifetime decisions, Judge Banas has established a consistent pattern of adjudication. His 70% approval rate reflects a stable approach to evaluating your disability claim. Because his performance remains aligned with his historical data, you can expect a predictable decision-making process when you present your medical evidence and testimony.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Banas'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 Banas? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Dover hearing office
The Dover Hearing Office serves you throughout Delaware and the surrounding region. As one of 6 judges operating within this office, Judge Banas contributes to a local environment that currently sees a 63% approval rate. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical documentation and work history. You can visit the Dover 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 assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Dover Hearing Office, approval rates across the bench vary significantly, ranging from 42% to 91% among the 6 judges. Regardless of which judge is assigned to your case, the core requirements for proving your disability remain the same.
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.