Approval rates
When evaluating your hearing prospects, it is helpful to look at how Judge Freund's approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. Her lifetime approval rate of 73% is notably higher than the current national average of 58% and the state average of 62%. With a substantial docket of 20,824 lifetime decisions, this data provides a stable look at her historical decision-making. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Freund'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Freund has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability claims. While her approval rates have fluctuated between a low of 60% in 2021 and a high of 84% in 2017, the most recent data shows an uptick to 83% in 2025. This recent performance suggests a continuation of her tendency to approve cases at a rate higher than the office average. These trends reflect the complex nature of the cases heard in the Spokane office over the last decade.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Freund'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 Freund? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Spokane hearing office
The Spokane Hearing Office serves a wide region in Washington, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a professional environment focused on processing cases efficiently. You can expect a thorough review of your documentation, which is essential for a favorable outcome. You can see the Spokane 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 Spokane Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 48% to 78%. While you cannot choose your judge, understanding that different judges have different historical patterns is part of the process. You can review the Spokane Hearing Office page for more information on the local bench.
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.