Approval rates
When evaluating your claim, it is helpful to look at how your judge’s approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. Currently, the judge’s approval rate is 9 percentage points lower than the San Diego office average and 10 percentage points lower than the national average. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 8,287 lifetime decisions accumulated over 4 years on the bench. 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 Cole'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 a 4-year tenure, your judge’s approval rate has shown notable fluctuations. Starting at 46% in 2016, the rate reached 50% in 2017, 49% in 2018, and 40% in 2019. This trend reflects the inherent variability in case outcomes over time. The recent period indicates a departure from earlier approval levels, which may be influenced by changes in the types of cases assigned or the quality of evidence presented.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Cole'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 Cole? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the San Diego hearing office
The San Diego Hearing Office serves a large population in Southern California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 57%. You should expect a rigorous review process focused on detailed medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the San Diego 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the San Diego Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 38% to 68%. This variance highlights why understanding the local judicial environment is useful 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.