Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Burgchardt has maintained a 46% lifetime approval rate over her 9-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, her approval rate was 2 points higher than the Colorado Springs office average, though it remains lower than both the state average of 56% and the national average of 58%.
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 Burgchardt'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 her 9 years on the bench, Judge Burgchardt has presided over 19,892 lifetime decisions. Her approval trend has fluctuated, peaking at 59% in 2018 before seeing a decline in the early 2020s. However, the most recent data indicates a shift, with her approval rate rising to 53% in 2024.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Burgchardt'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 Burgchardt? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Colorado Springs hearing office
The Colorado Springs Hearing Office serves a large population across the region, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a consistent workflow to address the backlog of cases. You can visit the Colorado Springs Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Colorado Springs Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 23% to 51%. Because of this variance, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful.
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.