Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Foresman's lifetime rate of 42% is evaluated against the Richmond Hearing Office latest rate of 47% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 11,753 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of past judicial activity. 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 Foresman'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 her seven-year tenure, Judge Foresman's approval rates have shown notable variance. After an initial period of relative stability, the data indicates a shift in decision outcomes, particularly in the most recent reporting years where rates moved between 33% and 41%. This pattern suggests that case mix or evolving evidentiary requirements may influence annual results. These trends reflect a career-long engagement with complex disability claims.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Foresman'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 Foresman? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Richmond hearing office
The Richmond (Virginia) Hearing Office serves a large population across the region, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 47%. You can expect a formal process focused on the documentation of your impairments. You can see the Richmond 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 Richmond Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 18% to 57%. This diversity highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is more important than the specific judge assigned. 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.