Approval rates
Judge Foley maintains a lifetime approval rate of 54%, which provides a baseline for understanding his decision-making history. When compared to the Columbus Hearing Office latest average of 57% and the national average of 58%, his decisions show a slight variance. These figures are derived from a docket of 727 lifetime decisions during his tenure. 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 Foley'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 1 year on the bench, Judge Foley has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. His approval rate of 54% reflects a steady pattern of adjudication during his time in the Columbus Hearing Office. While your case outcome depends heavily on your medical evidence and vocational testimony, his historical data remains stable. This consistency allows for a clearer understanding of how evidence is weighed in his courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Foley'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 Foley? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Columbus hearing office
The Columbus Hearing Office serves a significant population across Ohio, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 57%. You should be prepared for a formal process focused on your medical documentation and vocational expert testimony. See the Columbus Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Columbus Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 49% to 68%. This variation highlights why the specific judge assigned to your case matters. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains 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.