Approval rates
When evaluating your claim, it is helpful to look at how Judge Gohr's approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. While the Buffalo Hearing Office maintains a recent approval rate of 53%, Judge Gohr's lifetime rate of 34% reflects a distinct decision pattern. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 5,550 lifetime decisions accumulated over 4 years on the bench. 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 Gohr'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
Throughout a 4-year tenure, Judge Gohr's approval rate has remained relatively consistent. Starting at 33% in 2016, the rate shifted to 35% in 2017 and 2018, before moving to 31% in 2019. This stability across 5,550 lifetime decisions suggests a steady approach to evaluating your disability evidence. The slight variance in recent periods is common and often relates to changes in the complexity of cases assigned to the docket.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Gohr'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 Gohr? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Buffalo hearing office
The Buffalo Hearing Office serves a wide population across New York, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 53%. You can expect a formal process focused on the medical and vocational evidence supporting your disability claim. You can visit the Buffalo Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Buffalo Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 34% to 54%. This variation highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is the most reliable strategy. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent 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.