Approval rates
This table compares the approval rate of Brian J. Crawley to the performance of other judges at the same hearing office. These figures are based on the total number of decisions on record since 2016 to ensure statistical confidence. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for your individual hearing.
Judge Crawley is not in SSA's latest disposition file, so there is no 12-month figure. The most recent period with decisions on record is September 26, 2025. Those rows are left out rather than estimated.
Judge Crawley isn't in SSA's latest disposition file, so the judge comparison tool, which compares active judges over the same 12 months, leaves them out.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Crawley'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
Since 2016, Brian J. Crawley has issued 3,569 decisions. The approval rate has fluctuated over this period. The most recent data from 2025 shows an 87% approval rate, which sits above the overall record since 2016.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Crawley'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.
About the Long Island hearing office
The Long Island Hearing Office serves you in New York and is part of the broader regional network. There are 12 judges whose most recent office on record is this one. You can expect a formal hearing process where your evidence is reviewed against Social Security Administration standards.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Long Island
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Among the 12 judges whose most recent office on record is Long Island, 7 of them decided cases here in SSA's latest file and range from 48% to 77% on their since-2016 records.
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
The 80% approval rate on record since 2016 for Brian J. Crawley is higher than the 48% to 77% range observed among the 7 judges who decided cases at the Long Island office in SSA's latest file. An attorney can help you understand how these local trends may relate to your specific case.
The approval rate has varied over time, starting at 87% in 2016 and reaching 87% again in 2025 after some fluctuations in the intervening years. A qualified attorney can help you prepare for your hearing regardless of these historical patterns.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency. An attorney can help you prepare for your hearing regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
Approval rates reflect past decisions and are not a prediction of how your individual case will be decided. The outcome of your hearing depends on the specific medical evidence and documentation you provide. An attorney can help you gather the necessary evidence to support your claim.
