Approval rates
Judge Breton's lifetime approval rate of 52% is derived from a docket of 10,784 lifetime decisions. When compared to the latest reporting period, the judge's rate sits 7 percentage points below the Springfield MA office average and 6 points below the national average. These figures provide a statistical baseline for the judge's tenure. 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 Breton'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 4-year tenure, Judge Breton has presided over 10,784 lifetime decisions. The yearly trend shows an approval rate of 58% in 2016, 51% in 2017, 49% in 2018, and 51% in 2019. This pattern suggests a stable approach to case evaluation that has remained consistent throughout your tenure. The recent data reflects a continuation of this steady pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Breton'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 Breton? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Springfield MA hearing office
The Springfield MA Hearing Office serves a wide population across Massachusetts, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 59% in the latest reporting period. You can expect a rigorous review process focused on your medical documentation and vocational evidence. You can visit the Springfield MA Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Springfield MA Hearing Office utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to Judge Breton is essentially random. Across this office's bench of 6 judges, lifetime approval rates range from 42% to 65%. Because of this variance, understanding the local bench is a common part of your hearing preparation. The guidance for your hearing 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.