Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge DE Bernardis maintains a lifetime approval rate of 66%, which trends 8 percentage points above the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from 985 lifetime decisions rendered during his tenure. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not 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 De Bernardis'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 1 year on the bench, Judge DE Bernardis has maintained a consistent approval pattern. With 985 lifetime decisions, the data shows a stable approach to evaluating your disability claim. His latest reporting period indicates he is currently approving cases at a rate that remains 6 percentage points higher than the Elkins Park office average. This steady pattern suggests a predictable approach to evidence review.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge De Bernardis'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 DE Bernardis? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Elkins Park hearing office
The Elkins Park hearing office serves you throughout the Pennsylvania region. This office manages a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges, maintaining an office-wide latest approval rate of 60%. You should expect a standard administrative process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. See the Elkins Park 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 judge is selected randomly. Within the Elkins Park hearing office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 50% to 71%. This variance highlights why understanding the specific tendencies of your assigned judge is a vital part of your hearing strategy. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.