Approval rates
Judge Bozarth maintains a lifetime approval rate of 55%, a figure derived from a docket of 18,520 decisions over a decade of service. In the most recent reporting period, their approval rate reached 57%, which is 6 percentage points higher than the current NHC Baltimore office average of 49%. These metrics provide a baseline for understanding past decisions rather than a prediction for 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 Bozarth'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Bozarth has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. Yearly trends show approval rates fluctuating between 51% and 58% throughout their tenure. The most recent data indicates an approval rate of 57%, suggesting that their decision-making process remains aligned with their long-term historical average. This stability provides a framework for understanding how evidence is weighed in this courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Bozarth'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 Bozarth? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Nhc Baltimore hearing office
The NHC Baltimore Hearing Office serves claimants across Maryland and the surrounding region. It is a high-volume office where multiple ALJ manage complex disability dockets. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 49%, reflecting the standards applied to claims processed here. You can visit the NHC Baltimore 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 NHC Baltimore bench, lifetime approval rates for judges range from 46% to 81%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is more important than the specific judge assigned to your case.
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.