Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. While the Bronx Hearing Office maintains a recent approval rate of 59%, Judge Feuer’s latest reporting period shows a 55% approval rate. This data is drawn from a significant volume of 11,910 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of historical patterns. 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 Feuer'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 a 10-year tenure, Judge Feuer has demonstrated a shifting approval pattern. After starting with rates in the high 30s, the data shows a gradual transition toward higher approval percentages in recent years, reaching 55% in the latest reporting period. This trend suggests a departure from the earlier, more conservative decision-making phase. These fluctuations often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of medical evidence presented in the courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Feuer'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 Feuer? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Bronx hearing office
The Bronx Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants throughout the region. With a bench of 6 judges, this office manages a high volume of cases to ensure timely processing of disability claims. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 59%, which serves as a baseline for the local jurisdiction. You can visit the Bronx 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 Judge Feuer is essentially random. Across the Bronx Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 43% to 68%. Because you cannot choose your judge, focusing on the strength of your medical documentation remains the most effective strategy. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same 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.