Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and recent trends. Susan Brock has issued 19,483 lifetime decisions over 9 years on the bench. Her recent 60% approval rate compares to the 54% office average and the 53% state average. 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 Brock'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 9-year tenure, Susan Brock has shown a steady evolution in decision-making. After an initial period of fluctuation, approval rates have trended upward, reaching 62% in recent years. The latest period reflects a continuation of this stable pattern, indicating that the current decision-making process is well-established.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Brock'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 Brock? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Louisville hearing office
The Louisville Hearing Office serves a large population across Kentucky, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 54%. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical history and vocational capacity. You can see the Louisville Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Louisville office, the 6 ALJs range from 45% to 57% in lifetime approval rates. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is important to focus on the strength of your own medical record.
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.