Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their individual history and the broader context of the Social Security Administration hearing office. Judge Cosentino has maintained an 80% lifetime approval rate based on 4,760 lifetime decisions. This data provides a look at his bench history compared to the national latest approval rate of 58%. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than 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 Cosentino'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 your 3 years on the bench, Judge Cosentino has demonstrated a stable decision-making pattern. Starting with a 79% approval rate in 2016, his figures remained steady at 81% through 2017 and 2018. This consistency across 4,760 lifetime decisions suggests a predictable approach to evaluating your medical and vocational evidence.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Cosentino'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 Cosentino? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Creve Coeur hearing office
The Creve Coeur hearing office serves a diverse population across the region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases requiring careful review of disability standards. You can expect a formal process where your evidence quality is the primary driver of the outcome. You can visit the Creve Coeur 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. Within the Creve Coeur hearing office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges vary significantly, ranging from 38% to 84%. Because case assignment is outside of your control, understanding the office-wide environment is as important as reviewing an individual judge's history.
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.