Approval rates
Judge Burock's approval rate is measured against the broader context of the Harrisburg Hearing Office and national standards. While his lifetime rate of 54% provides a baseline, recent data shows his approval rate is 11 points above the local office average of 43%. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 13,651 decisions over 7 years. 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 Burock'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-year tenure, Judge Burock has seen his approval rates fluctuate, starting at 61% in 2016 and moving through a period of change before reaching 41% in the most recent reporting period. These trends reflect the evolving nature of disability adjudication and the specific evidence presented in your case. You can view the Harrisburg Hearing Office page for more information on local trends.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Burock'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 Burock? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Harrisburg hearing office
The Harrisburg Hearing Office serves a wide population across Pennsylvania, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 43%, which is lower than the state and national benchmarks. You should expect a rigorous review of your medical evidence and vocational testimony. See the Harrisburg 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Harrisburg office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 29% to 65%. This variance highlights why the specific judge you draw can be a factor in your hearing process. You can find more information on the Harrisburg 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.