Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Catanese maintains a lifetime approval rate of 43%, which tracks 7 points below the NHC Albuquerque office average and 15 points below the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 13,620 lifetime decisions. 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 Catanese'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 6-year tenure, Judge Catanese has seen his approval rate shift from 50% in 2016 to 39% in 2021. This trend reflects a gradual change in approval frequency over the course of his career. While the latest period shows a slight stabilization, the overall pattern indicates a consistent approach to case evaluation. These variations often stem from changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of medical evidence presented.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Catanese'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 Catanese? A free benefit check tells you if you qualify.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Nhc Albuquerque hearing office
The NHC Albuquerque hearing office serves you across New Mexico, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 50%. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the NHC Albuquerque Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your judge is selected randomly. Within the NHC Albuquerque office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 41% to 61%. This variance highlights why preparation is essential regardless of your specific assignment. You can find more information on the NHC Albuquerque 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.