Approval rates
Judge Contorer maintains a lifetime approval rate of 78% based on 19,582 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, you would find the judge recorded an 81% approval rate, which stands 11 points above the Oak Park office average and 20 points above the national average of 58%. These figures reflect a significant body of work over a decade on the bench. 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 Contorer'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, your judge's approval rate has remained consistent, generally oscillating between 74% and 83%. The most recent data shows an 81% approval rate, suggesting that the judge continues to maintain a steady approach to case evaluation. This pattern indicates a stable judicial philosophy rather than frequent shifts in decision-making criteria. The latest period reflects a continuation of this long-term, steady pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Contorer'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 Contorer? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Oak Park hearing office
The Oak Park Hearing Office serves a large population in Illinois, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office handles a diverse range of medical conditions and vocational profiles. The office-wide latest approval rate is 67%, which provides a baseline for local trends. You can visit the Oak Park Hearing Office page for the full ALJ 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. Across the Oak Park bench, lifetime approval rates for judges range from 50% to 80%. Because you cannot choose your judge, you should focus on the strength of your medical evidence and the completeness of your file. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent 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.