Approval rates
When evaluating your hearing, comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks offers a clearer picture of the local landscape. Robert O. Foerster currently holds a lifetime approval rate of 73%, a figure derived from 18,759 decisions. This stands in contrast to the latest office-wide approval rate of 52% and the national average of 58%. 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 Foerster'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 his 9 years on the bench, Robert O. Foerster has maintained a consistent approach to disability adjudication. His approval rate transitioned from 75% in 2016 to 68% in the most recent reporting period. This trend reflects a steady pattern of decision-making that remains well above the local office average. These shifts often correlate with changes in case volume or the complexity of evidence presented, rather than a fundamental change in judicial philosophy.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Foerster'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 Foerster? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Savannah hearing office
The Savannah Hearing Office serves a broad population across Georgia, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. You can expect a rigorous review process where the quality of your medical documentation is paramount. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 52%, the environment is one where thorough preparation is essential for a successful outcome. You can see the Savannah 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 Savannah Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 37% to 73%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the evidentiary requirements of a claim, the variance across the office is significant. You can view the full roster of judges on the Savannah Hearing Office page.
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.