Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader trends helps you put your hearing in perspective. Judge Cordovani has served in the Buffalo Hearing Office for 10 years. While his lifetime approval rate is 47%, his most recent reporting period shows a rate of 51%, which remains below the current national average of 58%. These figures are based on a docket of 20,374 lifetime decisions.
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 Cordovani'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 Cordovani has seen his annual approval rate shift from 40% in 2016 to 54% in 2024. This trend suggests a change in his decision-making pattern over the last decade. The latest reporting period shows a rate of 51%, indicating that his recent trend has remained relatively stable.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Cordovani'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 Cordovani? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Buffalo hearing office
The Buffalo Hearing Office serves a wide population across New York, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a consistent environment for processing cases. The office currently reports an approval rate of 53%, which provides context for the local hearing climate.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Buffalo Hearing Office, the 6 ALJs have lifetime approval rates ranging from 46% to 56%. Because every judge operates with their own unique style, 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.