Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both lifetime averages and recent trends. Judge Carey has maintained a consistent presence in the Chicago Hearing Office, where her latest approval rate of 52% is evaluated against the office-wide average of 56% and the national average of 58%. With a docket spanning 19,246 lifetime decisions, this data provides a stable view of her decision-making history.
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 Carey'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 10-year tenure, your judge has seen approval rates fluctuate, moving from a low of 37% in 2017 and 2018 to 51% in 2025. This trend shows a rise following the 2020 period, where approval rates peaked at 57%. The latest reporting period indicates a pattern that remains below the broader office average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Carey'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 Carey? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Chicago hearing office
The Chicago (Illinois) Hearing Office serves a large population across the region, managing a high volume of disability claims. With 6 judges currently on the bench, the office maintains an average approval rate of 56%. You should expect a professional environment focused on the specific medical documentation of your impairment.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Chicago Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 41% to 69%. Because you cannot choose your judge, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful for your preparation.
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.