Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Goodrich currently maintains a lifetime approval rate of 53%, which can be measured against the Akron OH Hearing Office latest rate of 55% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 16,925 lifetime decisions, offering a clear view of her historical decision-making. 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 Goodrich'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 7 years on the bench, Judge Goodrich has seen fluctuations in her annual approval rates. While her career began with rates in the mid-50s, the data shows a period of decline followed by a return to 56% approval in 2022. This suggests that your decision-making process remains responsive to changes in case evidence and legal standards. The recent uptick reflects a continuation of a steady pattern in her judicial approach.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Goodrich'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 Goodrich? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Akron OH hearing office
The Akron OH Hearing Office serves a significant population across Ohio, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 55%. You should expect a professional environment focused on the specific medical documentation provided in your files. You can see the Akron OH 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 Akron OH Hearing Office, individual lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 44% to 60%. This variance highlights why you should focus on the strength of your own medical evidence. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same 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.