Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for what to expect at your hearing. Judge Blatnik's lifetime approval rate of 60% is evaluated against the latest office, state, and national averages to help you understand the local environment. This data is derived from a significant docket of 16,140 decisions, providing a stable view of historical trends. 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 Blatnik'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 an 8-year tenure, Judge Blatnik has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability claims. The yearly trend shows a steady pattern of approvals, with recent data from 2023 indicating a 68% approval rate, which represents an uptick compared to the 59% observed in 2022. This variation is common and often reflects changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented. The latest period reflects a continuation of this stable, long-term decision-making pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Blatnik'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 Blatnik? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Lansing hearing office
The Lansing Hearing Office serves a broad population across Michigan, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where case outcomes can vary based on the specific evidence you provide. You should focus on gathering comprehensive medical records to support your application. You can see the Lansing Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
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 Lansing office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 36% to 66%, highlighting the diversity of perspectives present at this location. Regardless of which judge is assigned to your case, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain the same. You can find more information on the office's general operations on the Lansing 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.