Approval rates
Judge Dunn maintains a lifetime approval rate of 72%, a figure derived from a career docket of 19,156 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, your approval rate reached 78%, which stands higher than the 58% national average and the 66% office average. This data reflects a decade of judicial activity across multiple jurisdictions. 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 Dunn'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 your 10 years on the bench, you have demonstrated a generally upward trend in approval rates. While your early career saw rates in the mid-60% range, recent years have consistently trended toward the high 70s, including a 79% approval rate in 2025. This recent performance represents a departure from your earlier, more conservative baseline. The current pattern suggests a stable approach to evaluating evidence in the most recent reporting cycles.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Dunn'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 Dunn? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Pasadena hearing office
The Pasadena Hearing Office serves a large population in California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 66%. You should be prepared for rigorous evidence review and potential delays due to the high caseload. You can see the Pasadena 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. Across the Pasadena Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 63% to 72%. Because every judge evaluates evidence differently, your experience may vary depending on who is assigned to your case. 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.