Approval rates
Elizabeth Ebner has presided over 16,636 lifetime decisions during her 10-year tenure. Her approval rate is currently tracking at 68% for the latest reporting period, which is higher than the 51% average seen across the NHC Falls Church office. When compared to the national average of 58%, her recent decisions reflect a higher frequency of favorable outcomes. These 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 Ebner'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 the course of her 10 years on the bench, Elizabeth Ebner has maintained a consistent approach to disability adjudication. Her yearly approval trends show fluctuations, moving from 51% in 2016 to a peak of 66% in 2019, before stabilizing near her lifetime average in recent years. The most recent data indicates a 68% approval rate, suggesting an upward shift compared to the 57% observed in 2024. This pattern reflects a steady commitment to evaluating the medical evidence presented in each unique case.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Ebner'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 Ebner? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Nhc Falls Church hearing office
The NHC Falls Church Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants across Virginia and the surrounding region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of SSDI hearings annually. The office-wide latest approval rate currently stands at 51%, serving as a baseline for the region. To understand the broader environment of your upcoming hearing, visit the NHC Falls Church Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the NHC Falls Church office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 48% to 69%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is vital to focus on the strength of your medical evidence and vocational testimony. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent 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.