Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and recent trends. Judge Delphey has maintained a consistent docket over his 10 years on the bench, providing a significant sample size of 14,222 lifetime decisions. While his lifetime rate sits at 38%, recent reporting shows a shift in approval patterns compared to the San Diego office average of 57%. 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 Delphey'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 10-year tenure, Judge Delphey has seen his approval rates evolve significantly. After a period of lower approval rates between 2016 and 2021, the data shows a steady upward trend starting in 2022. The most recent reporting period shows an approval rate of 63%, which marks a notable departure from his historical lifetime average. This recent uptick may reflect changes in case mix or the quality of evidence presented in recent hearings.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Delphey'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 Delphey? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the San Diego hearing office
The San Diego Hearing Office serves a large population in Southern California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 57%. You can expect a structured environment where thorough documentation is essential for a favorable outcome. You can visit the San Diego Hearing Office page for more information on the local roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the San Diego Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates for the bench range from 38% to 68%. This variance highlights why focusing on your own medical evidence is the most effective strategy. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same 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.