Approval rates
The approval rate for Anne W. Chain is measured against the broader performance of the Elkins Park Hearing Office and national standards. With a lifetime record of 5,667 decisions, her data provides a clear look at her historical decision-making patterns. Currently, her approval rate trails the office average of 60% and the national average of 58%. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Chain'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 4 years on the bench, Anne W. Chain has seen her approval rate fluctuate, starting at 42% in 2016 and reaching 53% in 2017. Following this, the rate remained steady near 50% to 52% in subsequent years. This trend indicates a consistent approach to case evaluation, even as the volume of decisions has shifted. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern in her judicial history.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Chain'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 Chain? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Elkins Park hearing office
The Elkins Park Hearing Office serves a significant population of workers across Pennsylvania, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 60%. You can expect a formal environment where medical documentation and vocational testimony are prioritized. You can see the Elkins Park 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. At the Elkins Park Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 48% to 71%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is critical. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.