Approval rates
Judge Elias maintains a lifetime approval rate of 63%, which is higher than the current 58% national average. In the most recent reporting period, the judge recorded a 69% approval rate, which is 8 percentage points below the current Tucson Hearing Office average of 71%. These figures are derived from a docket of 15,076 lifetime decisions over a decade of service. 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 Elias'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 10 years on the bench, the approval rate for Judge Elias has experienced periods of transition. While the rate hovered near 60% between 2020 and 2022, recent years have seen an increase, with an 84% approval rate in 2023 and 74% in 2024. The current 67% rate in 2025 suggests a stabilization following these recent peaks. This pattern reflects a judge whose decision-making has evolved alongside shifts in case complexity and evidence standards.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Elias'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 Elias? A free benefit check tells you if you qualify.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Tucson hearing office
The Tucson Hearing Office serves a broad population across Arizona and is a key hub for regional disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases to maintain efficiency for you. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 71%, reflecting the local adjudicatory climate. You can visit the Tucson Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Tucson Hearing Office utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment is random. The bench here is diverse, with lifetime approval rates among the office's 6 judges ranging from 50% to 80%. Because you cannot choose your judge, understanding the office-wide environment is as important as reviewing an individual record. 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.