Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Donovan currently maintains a 60% lifetime approval rate, which stands 2 percentage points above the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from 1,610 lifetime decisions made 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 Donovan Sr.'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 Donovan has shown a shift in his approval patterns. His approval rate rose from 53% in 2016 to 67% in 2017, indicating a trend toward higher allowance rates in his more recent work. This variance suggests that a judge's approach may evolve as they gain experience or encounter different case mixes. Understanding this trajectory is a key part of building a strategy for your testimony.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Donovan Sr.'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.
About the NHC Chicago hearing office
The NHC Chicago hearing office serves a significant population across Illinois, managing a high volume of disability claims. With 6 judges on the bench, the office maintains an average approval rate of 51%. You should be prepared for a formal process that prioritizes comprehensive medical documentation. You can visit the NHC Chicago Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the NHC Chicago office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 41% to 69%. Because of this variance, it is important to focus on the strength of your medical evidence regardless of which judge is presiding. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent regardless of your assigned judge.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.