Approval rates
Judge Bede maintains a lifetime approval rate of 59%, which compares favorably to the 55% state average and the 58% national average. This data is derived from 6,299 lifetime decisions rendered during his 4-year tenure. These figures reflect past trends 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 Bede'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 Bede has shown a variable approval pattern. After an initial approval rate of 58% in 2016, the rate moved to 72% in 2017, 55% in 2018, and 61% in 2019. These fluctuations often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Bede'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 Bede? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Elkins Park hearing office
The Elkins Park hearing office serves you throughout the Pennsylvania region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of disability claims with an office-wide latest approval rate of 60%. You can visit the Elkins Park Hearing Office page for more information on the local roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Elkins Park hearing office uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. The bench at this office features a range of approval rates, spanning from 50% to 71% across the 6 judges. Because you cannot choose your judge, you should focus on the strength of your medical evidence.
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.