Approval rates
Evaluating a judge's history requires looking at their lifetime performance against current benchmarks. Judge Cichanowicz has maintained a 24% lifetime approval rate over 10,616 decisions. This figure is compared against the Dallas North OHO latest approval rate of 65% and the national average of 58%. These data points provide a statistical baseline for the judge's tenure, though they do not dictate the outcome of 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 Cichanowicz'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 7 years on the bench, the decision pattern for Judge Cichanowicz has shown notable shifts. After an initial period in 2018 with a 39% approval rate, the annual figures saw a decline, reaching 14% in 2023. This trend reflects a consistent approach to case evaluation throughout your tenure across three different hearing offices. The latest period indicates a continuation of this established pattern, suggesting a stable judicial philosophy regarding evidence requirements.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Cichanowicz'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 Cichanowicz? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Dallas North Oho hearing office
The Dallas North OHO serves a large population in Texas, managing a high volume of disability claims. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 65%, this location handles a diverse range of medical and vocational evidence. You should be prepared for a rigorous review process that emphasizes detailed documentation. You can see the Dallas North OHO 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 assignment is essentially random. Within the Dallas North OHO, approval rates among the 5 judges vary significantly, ranging from 24% to 88%. Because you cannot choose your judge, understanding the office-wide environment is as important as reviewing an individual's history. You can learn more about the office environment at the Dallas North OHO 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.