Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Duran's lifetime approval rate of 76% stands in contrast to the latest Sacramento office average of 65% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 18,169 lifetime decisions, offering a view of his historical decision-making. Aggregate rates describe past trends rather than individual hearing outcomes.
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 Duran'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 8 years on the bench, Judge Duran has maintained a consistent pattern of approvals. His yearly trend shows steady performance, with a peak of 82% in 2020 and 78% in the most recent reporting period. This consistency suggests a reliable approach to evaluating disability claims. The latest period reflects a continuation of this pattern, indicating that his approach to evidence and testimony has remained stable.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Duran'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 Duran? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Sacramento hearing office
The Sacramento Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants throughout California. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases to ensure timely access to hearings. The office-wide latest approval rate currently sits at 65%, reflecting the local environment for disability claims. You can visit the Sacramento Hearing Office page for more information on the local roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Sacramento Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 57% to 76%. Because of this variance, the judge you draw matters, but the core requirements for proving your disability remain constant.
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.