Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to regional and national benchmarks provides a clearer picture of the local landscape. Judge Beall maintains a lifetime approval rate of 76%, which stands in contrast to the 44% office average and the 58% national average. These statistics are derived from a docket of 1,038 lifetime decisions accumulated over two years on the bench. Aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than 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 Beall'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 a two-year tenure, Judge Beall has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. Starting with a 74% approval rate in 2016, the trend moved to 78% in 2017, indicating a steady pattern of decision-making. This stability suggests that the judge's approach to evidence and testimony has remained reliable throughout their time on the bench. The data reflects a continuation of this steady pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Beall'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 Beall? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Colorado Springs hearing office
The Colorado Springs Hearing Office serves a broad population across the region, managing a high volume of SSDI and SSI claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office operates under the standard SSA procedures for administrative hearings. You can expect a formal process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. See the Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 23% to 76%. Because of this variance, understanding the local office environment is helpful for you. You can find more information on the Colorado Springs 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.