Approval rates
Judge Dorf maintains an approval rate that consistently outperforms broader benchmarks. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate was 13 percentage points higher than the New York Hearing Office average and 15 percentage points above the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 6,115 lifetime decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting your individual hearing outcome.
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 Dorf'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 4 years on the bench, Judge Dorf has demonstrated a high approval trend. His yearly approval rates have moved between 69% and 79%, reflecting a pattern that remains above the standard office baseline. The most recent data shows a return to the higher end of this range, suggesting a consistent approach to evaluating your disability claim.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Dorf'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 Dorf? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the New York hearing office
The New York Hearing Office serves a large population, managing a high volume of SSDI and SSI claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate that reflects the diverse nature of the cases heard here. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the New York 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the New York Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 37% to 82%. Because of this variance, understanding the environment of your hearing office is helpful for your preparation.
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.