Approval rates
Judge Bridges maintains an approval rate higher than both the Harrisburg Hearing Office average of 43% and the national average of 58%. With 7,459 lifetime decisions, the sample size provides a clear view of his historical decision-making tendencies. In the latest reporting period, his rate outperformed the state average by 32 percentage points. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than 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 Bridges'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 7 years on the bench, Judge Bridges has demonstrated a consistent and high approval trend. While his yearly performance has fluctuated, he has maintained a strong record, reaching a 95% approval rate in 2022. This pattern suggests a stable approach to evaluating evidence and disability claims. The recent data reflects a continuation of this high-approval trend, which remains above the office-wide baseline.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Bridges'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 Bridges? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Harrisburg hearing office
The Harrisburg Hearing Office serves a large population across Pennsylvania, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office processes cases under standard SSA guidelines for administrative hearings. You can expect a formal environment where evidence quality and medical documentation are the primary drivers of success. You can visit the Harrisburg Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning you cannot choose your judge. At the Harrisburg Hearing Office, the bench includes 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 29% to 87%. Because this variance exists, it is common to feel uncertain about your assigned judge. Preparation remains essential regardless of which judge is 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.