Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and recent trends. Judge Banks maintains a lifetime approval rate of 43% based on 12,584 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, her approval rate reached 62%, which can be compared against the Bronx office average of 59% and the national average of 58%. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Banks'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 9 years on the bench, Judge Banks has demonstrated an upward trend in approval rates. Her decisions have become more favorable in recent years, reaching 66% in 2025. This shift suggests that her approach to case evaluation has evolved since her early tenure. The latest period reflects a continuation of this pattern of increased approvals compared to her career-long average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Banks'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 Banks? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Bronx hearing office
The Bronx Hearing Office manages a high volume of SSDI cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 59%, reflecting the complex nature of the claims processed in this region. You can expect a rigorous review process focused on medical evidence and vocational capacity. You can visit the Bronx Hearing Office page for more information.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Bronx Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 43% to 68%. While these variations exist, the core requirements for proving disability remain consistent regardless of which judge presides over your hearing.
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.