Approval rates
Judge Dana maintains a 60% lifetime approval rate, which is 3 percentage points higher than the Providence Hearing Office average of 57%. This data is derived from 5,131 lifetime decisions. When compared to the national average of 58%, her rate remains slightly elevated. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than serving as a prediction for your specific 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 Dana'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 her 4 years on the bench, your judge has seen her approval rate trend from 54% in 2023 to 62% in 2025. This steady increase suggests a consistent approach to evaluating evidence as her tenure has progressed. The latest reporting period shows a 60% approval rate, which aligns closely with her lifetime average. This pattern reflects a stable judicial approach to the cases assigned to her docket.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Dana'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 Dana? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Providence hearing office
The Providence Hearing Office serves you throughout Rhode Island and surrounding areas. This office manages a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges, maintaining an office-wide latest approval rate of 57%. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on your medical and vocational evidence. See the Providence Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning you cannot choose your judge. Within the Providence Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 43% to 74%. This variance highlights why understanding the local judicial environment is important for your hearing strategy. You can find more information on the Providence Hearing Office page.
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.