Approval rates
Understanding how your judge compares to others in the same office provides helpful context for your hearing. The Oakland hearing office features a bench with lifetime approval rates ranging from 26% to 84%. With 267 lifetime decisions on record, the data for Michael Blume offers a clear view of his historical decision-making patterns. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for your individual hearing.
SSA has not published a latest-period approval, fully favorable or denial breakdown for Judge Blume. The most recent period with decisions on record is September 28, 2018. Those rows are left out rather than estimated.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Blume'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
Michael Blume has a record of 267 lifetime decisions spanning from 2016 to 2018. His approval rate was 71% in 2016, 66% in 2017, and 76% in 2018. These patterns are useful for understanding the judge's history but do not dictate the outcome of your specific case.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Blume'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.
About the Oakland hearing office
The Oakland hearing office serves claimants throughout the region and maintains a bench of 16 judges on record. The office-wide latest-period approval rate is 66%, which provides a baseline for the local environment. You can see the Oakland 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 you cannot choose your judge. There are 16 judges on record at this office since 2016. Because approval rates across the office vary significantly from 26% to 84%, the specific judge assigned to your case is a meaningful factor.
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Michael Blume has a lifetime approval rate of 70% across 267 decisions. This places him within the broader range of 26% to 84% seen among the 16 judges on record at the Oakland office. An attorney can help you understand how to present your evidence effectively for this specific judge.
Michael Blume's approval rate was 71% in 2016, 66% in 2017, and 76% in 2018. While these yearly figures show some movement, they reflect a consistent pattern of decision-making over his time on the bench. If you are concerned about how these trends might affect your hearing, an attorney can help you evaluate your case strategy.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration uses a random workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases to judges at the Oakland hearing office. An attorney can help you prepare for your hearing regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
An SSDI hearing is a formal but non-adversarial proceeding where a judge reviews your medical records and hears testimony. You may be asked questions about your daily activities, pain levels, and work history. An attorney can help you prepare your testimony and ensure your medical evidence is organized for the judge.
A judge's approval rate is a historical statistic and not a guarantee of how they will rule on your specific claim. Your success depends primarily on the quality of the medical evidence and vocational testimony you provide. An attorney can help you build a strong case that addresses the specific requirements of the SSA.