Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Bawolek's 79% lifetime approval rate stands in contrast to the latest office average of 59% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 25,976 decisions. 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 Bawolek'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 years on the bench, Judge Bawolek has shown a consistent trend of high approval rates. Starting at 68% in 2016, her annual approval rate climbed to 89% in 2024 before reaching 78% in the most recent reporting period. This pattern reflects a stable approach to evaluating disability claims throughout her tenure.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Bawolek'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 Bawolek? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Charleston WV hearing office
The Charleston WV Hearing Office serves claimants throughout West Virginia and the surrounding region. With a bench of 6 judges, this office manages a high volume of cases. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 59%, which serves as a baseline for the region.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. At the Charleston WV Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 39% to 79%. The fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent across all courtrooms, regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.