Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to office and national averages provides context for your hearing environment. Judge Ehrman currently shows an approval rate that differs from the broader St Petersburg FL office, which reports a 63% latest approval rate. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 20,961 lifetime decisions, offering a stable look at historical trends.
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 Ehrman'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 nine years on the bench, your judge's approval rate has fluctuated, showing a low of 29% in 2021 and a recent rise to 46% in 2024. This trend indicates that the decision-making pattern is not static and may shift based on the specific evidence or case mix you present. The latest period reflects a departure from the lower rates seen in the early 2020s, suggesting a more recent trend toward higher approval outcomes.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Ehrman'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 Ehrman? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the St Petersburg FL hearing office
The St Petersburg FL Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across the region, managing a high volume of disability cases with a team of 6 administrative law judges. The office currently reports a latest approval rate of 63%, which serves as a benchmark for your local hearing environment. You can expect a professional, evidence-focused process designed to evaluate the merits of your claim.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the St Petersburg FL office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 38% to 75%. While these differences exist, the fundamental requirements for proving your disability remain consistent across all courtrooms.
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.