Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime performance against recent trends provides a clearer picture of their decision-making environment. Judge Boudreau has maintained a 51% lifetime approval rate over 20,172 decisions, while her most recent reporting period shows a 68% approval rate. This latest figure is 7 points higher than the current Colorado Springs office average of 44%. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not 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 Boudreau'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 her 10 years on the bench, Judge Boudreau has seen fluctuations in her approval patterns, ranging from a low of 39% in 2021 to a high of 69% in 2025. These shifts often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the specific medical evidence presented during a given year. Her recent decision-making shows an upward trend compared to her mid-tenure years, reflecting a more favorable outcome pattern for your claim.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Boudreau'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 Boudreau? 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 Colorado, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office currently reports an approval rate of 44%. You should expect a professional environment focused on the rigorous evaluation of medical evidence. You can see the Colorado Springs 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Colorado Springs office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 23% to 51%. This variance underscores the importance of having a well-documented case regardless of who presides over your hearing.
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.