Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Gaffaney currently holds an approval rate that trails the Evanston office average by 8 percentage points and the national average by 10 percentage points. This data is derived from a docket of 21,371 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of his historical decision-making. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting outcomes for your specific 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 Gaffaney'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, Judge Gaffaney has seen his approval rates shift. After starting with a 35% approval rate in 2016, his annual approval frequency climbed, peaking at 61% in 2022 before moving to 50% in 2024. These yearly fluctuations are common and often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented during the hearing process.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Gaffaney'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 Gaffaney? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Evanston hearing office
The Evanston Hearing Office serves a significant population in Illinois, managing a high volume of disability claims. With 6 judges on the bench, the office maintains an average approval rate of 56%, which aligns with state-level trends. You can expect a professional environment focused on the evaluation of medical and vocational evidence. You can visit the Evanston (Illinois) 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 you cannot choose your judge. At the Evanston Hearing Office, the bench is diverse, with lifetime approval rates ranging from 46% to 76% across the 6 judges currently serving. While these variations exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent. Guidance for your hearing remains the same regardless of which judge is 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.