Approval rates
Your judge's approval rate is based on a docket of 10,267 lifetime decisions accumulated over her 4-year tenure. Her approval rate stands 18 percentage points higher than the Livonia MI Hearing Office average and 17 percentage points above the national average. These metrics offer a look at historical trends within her courtroom, though they do not predict 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 Connolly'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, your judge has maintained a consistent approval pattern. Her yearly data shows a steady performance, with approval rates between 73% and 76% across her career. This stability suggests a predictable approach to evaluating your disability claim, with her decision-making process remaining anchored in consistent evidentiary standards.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Connolly'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 Connolly? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Livonia MI hearing office
The Livonia MI Hearing Office serves a significant population of claimants across Michigan, managing a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 57%, which serves as a baseline for the region. You can expect a formal process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Livonia MI Hearing Office page for more information on the local roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Livonia MI Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 55% to 75%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the courtroom, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful 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.