Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge DE LA Torre maintains a lifetime approval rate of 60%, which is 1% below the latest office average of 61% but 2% above the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 7,194 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of her adjudication history. 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 la Torre'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, Judge DE LA Torre has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability claims. Her approval rate showed a slight upward trend, moving from 59% in 2016 to 62% in 2019. This steady pattern suggests a reliable decision-making framework that has remained stable throughout her tenure.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge de la Torre'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 LA Torre? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Indianapolis hearing office
The Indianapolis Hearing Office serves a broad population across Indiana, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 61%, the local environment is active and structured. You can visit the Indianapolis Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Indianapolis Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 48% to 72%. Because of this variance, understanding the office environment is helpful, but the core requirements for proving your disability remain 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.