Approval rates
Judge Cooper's approval rate is a key metric for understanding his history at the Pasadena Hearing Office. In the most recent reporting period, he maintained a 68% approval rate, which is 5 percentage points higher than the national average of 58%. This data is drawn from a significant docket of 18,348 lifetime decisions over his 10-year tenure. 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 Cooper'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 his 10 years on the bench, Judge Cooper has seen his approval rates fluctuate, starting at 80% in 2016 before reaching a low of 56% in 2019. Recent years show a notable shift, with the approval rate climbing to 70% in 2025. This upward trend in the latest period suggests a departure from the mid-tenure dip. These patterns provide context for how his courtroom has evolved, though each case remains unique based on the medical evidence you present.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Cooper'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 Cooper? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Pasadena hearing office
The Pasadena Hearing Office serves a large population in California, managing a high volume of SSDI claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 66%, reflecting the regional trends in disability adjudication. You can expect a formal process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can see the Pasadena 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 to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Pasadena Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates for the bench range from 63% to 72%. While these variations exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same 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.