Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Fortune maintains a lifetime approval rate of 46%, which differs from the 62% average seen at the Denver Hearing Office and the 58% national average. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 3,164 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of past trends. 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 Fortune'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 2-year tenure, Judge Fortune has maintained a consistent decision-making pattern. The data shows a shift from a 47% approval rate in 2016 to 45% in 2017. This trend reflects a steady approach to evaluating evidence and medical documentation. These trends provide insight into the judge's historical consistency over their time on the bench.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Fortune'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 Fortune? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Denver hearing office
The Denver Hearing Office serves a broad population across Colorado, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 62%. You can expect a professional environment where medical evidence is the primary focus of the hearing process. You can see the Denver 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 judge is selected randomly. Within the Denver Hearing Office, the 6 ALJs range from 45% to 62% in their lifetime approval rates. While these variations exist, the core requirements for proving disability remain consistent regardless of who presides over your hearing.
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.