Approval rates
Judge Bosch maintains a lifetime approval rate of 71% across 5,684 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate outperformed the Philadelphia East Hearing Office average by 14 percentage points and the national average by 13 percentage points. This data provides a statistical look at his tenure, though aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting the outcome of your specific 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 Bosch'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 5 years on the bench, Judge Bosch has shown a consistent pattern of approvals. Starting at 64% in 2016, his annual approval rate peaked at 76% in 2018 before settling to 70% in 2020. This trend indicates a stable approach to case evaluation throughout his tenure. The recent data reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, suggesting that his decision-making process remains anchored in a consistent interpretation of Social Security Administration evidence standards.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Bosch'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 Bosch? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Philadelphia East hearing office
The Philadelphia East Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Pennsylvania and the surrounding region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases to ensure timely access to hearings. The office-wide latest approval rate is 57%, which provides a baseline for the local jurisdiction. You can visit the Philadelphia East Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Philadelphia East bench, lifetime approval rates range from 40% to 71%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the hearing room, understanding the broader office environment is helpful. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent 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.