Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. While the national average approval rate stands at 58%, Judge Chin has maintained a 56% lifetime approval rate over a decade of service. These figures are derived from 20,261 lifetime decisions, offering a statistically significant look at past trends. 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 Chin'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Chin has seen fluctuations in approval rates, ranging from a high of 68% in 2017 to a low of 42% in 2024. The most recent reporting period shows a 61% approval rate, which is 7 percentage points higher than the current office average. These trends reflect the evolving nature of disability claims rather than a fixed judicial philosophy.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Chin'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 Chin? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Nhc Baltimore hearing office
The NHC Baltimore Hearing Office serves you throughout Maryland and the surrounding region. It is a busy office with 6 judges managing a high volume of SSDI cases. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 49%, which provides a baseline for the local legal environment. You can see the NHC Baltimore Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning you cannot choose your judge. At the NHC Baltimore Hearing Office, the bench consists of 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 46% to 81%. Because assignment is essentially random, you may be scheduled before any of these jurists. You can view the full roster on the 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.