Approval rates
Judge D'Alessandro maintains a high approval rate compared to broader benchmarks. In the latest reporting period, his approval rate outperformed the Manchester Hearing Office average by 15 percentage points and the national average by 16 percentage points. These statistics are derived from a docket of 3,228 lifetime decisions accumulated over his tenure.
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 D'Alessandro'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 2 years on the bench, Judge D'Alessandro has maintained a consistent pattern of approvals. His yearly trend shows a shift from 76% in 2016 to 71% in 2017. This stability suggests a steady approach to evaluating your evidence and medical documentation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge D'Alessandro'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 D'Alessandro? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Manchester hearing office
The Manchester Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across New Hampshire and surrounding areas. It is staffed by a team of 6 Administrative Law Judges who manage a high volume of disability claims. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 59%, which provides a baseline for the region.
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. Within the Manchester Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 46% to 74%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the courtroom, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful.
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.