Approval rates
Judge Brady's approval record provides a window into how cases are evaluated at the Wilkes Barre Hearing Office. While the national average for approval currently sits at 58%, Judge Brady has maintained a 57% lifetime approval rate. During the most recent reporting period, he approved 55% of cases, which is 11 percentage points higher than the office-wide average of 46%. 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 Brady'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 a decade on the bench, Judge Brady has presided over 24,037 decisions. His approval rate has remained steady, showing fluctuations between a low of 52% in 2020 and a high of 62% in 2024. The most recent data indicates a 56% approval rate, suggesting a continuation of his long-term historical pattern. This consistency provides a stable baseline for understanding how evidence and case merits are typically weighed in his courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Brady'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 Brady? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Wilkes Barre hearing office
The Wilkes Barre Hearing Office serves a large population across Pennsylvania, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office currently reports an approval rate of 46%. You should be prepared for a rigorous review of medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can see the Wilkes Barre 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 specific judge is determined by random assignment. Within the Wilkes Barre Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 29% to 59%. Because of this variance, the judge you draw can influence the procedural flow of your hearing. You can view the full roster of judges at the Wilkes Barre 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.