Approval rates
Evaluating your chances requires looking at the broader context of the San Francisco hearing office. While the office-wide lifetime approval-rate range spans from 28% to 65%, Robert M. Erickson sits at the top of this range with a 65% approval rate. These figures are derived from 2,488 lifetime decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for your individual hearing.
SSA has not published a latest-period approval, fully favorable or denial breakdown for Judge Erickson. The most recent period with decisions on record is September 29, 2023. Those rows are left out rather than estimated.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Erickson'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
The record for Robert M. Erickson spans from 2016 to 2023, showing a consistent pattern of decision-making. His yearly approval rates have fluctuated, reaching a high of 72% in 2020 and settling at 61% in 2023. This trend suggests a judge who maintains a steady approach to evaluating your disability claims over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Erickson'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.
About the San Francisco hearing office
The San Francisco hearing office serves you throughout the region, acting as a hub for disability adjudication in California. The office maintains a bench of 10 judges on record, each contributing to the local caseload. You can expect a formal hearing process where your evidence quality is the primary driver of the outcome.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. There are 10 judges on record at this office since 2016, 5 of whom reported in the latest period. Approval rates across this bench vary significantly, ranging from 28% to 65% on a lifetime basis.
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Robert M. Erickson has a 65% lifetime approval rate, which places him at the higher end of the 28% to 65% range seen among the 10 judges on record at the San Francisco office. Because every case is unique, an attorney can help you understand how your specific medical evidence aligns with this judge's history.
His approval rate has shown some variance, moving from 69% in 2016 to 61% in 2023. Despite these yearly shifts, his overall pattern remains consistent across 2,488 lifetime decisions. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific evidentiary standards this judge often prioritizes.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration uses a random assignment algorithm to distribute cases among the judges at the San Francisco hearing office. An attorney can help you prepare a strong case regardless of which judge is ultimately assigned to your hearing.
A 65% lifetime approval rate provides context on how Robert M. Erickson has ruled in the past, but it is not a guarantee of your outcome. Your success depends on the quality of your medical evidence and your testimony. An attorney can help you ensure your case is fully developed to meet the requirements of the law.