Approval rates
Judge Gardner's lifetime approval rate of 45% is based on a docket of 1,358 decisions. When compared to the latest reporting period, his approval rate remains distinct from the Bronx office average of 59% and the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding the environment of your upcoming hearing. 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 Gardner'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 2 years on the bench, Judge Gardner has maintained a consistent decision-making profile. His approval rate was 46% in 2016 and 40% in 2017. This trend reflects a steady approach to the evidence presented in his courtroom. The slight variation in recent periods is common and often relates to the specific mix of medical conditions and evidence quality in the cases assigned to his docket.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Gardner'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 Gardner? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Bronx hearing office
The Bronx Hearing Office serves a significant volume of applicants throughout the New York region. With a bench of 6 ALJs, the office maintains an average approval rate of 59%. You can expect a formal process focused on the medical and vocational evidence supporting your disability claim. You can see the Bronx Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses an automated workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Bronx Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 45% to 68%. This variance highlights why every case requires a tailored strategy regardless of the specific judge assigned. You can review the full office roster on the Bronx Hearing Office page.
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.