Approval rates
Judge Greenberg's approval rate is evaluated against the NHC Falls Church office average of 51% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 7,463 lifetime decisions accumulated over his 4 years on the bench. Comparing these metrics helps you understand the statistical landscape of your upcoming 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 Greenberg'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 tenure, Judge Greenberg has maintained a consistent decision pattern, with approval rates of 46% in 2016, 40% in 2017, 49% in 2018, and 49% in 2019. This steady trend reflects his approach to case evaluation. The latest period shows a continuation of this stable pattern, which is a key factor when you prepare your evidence.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Greenberg'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 Greenberg? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Nhc Falls Church hearing office
The NHC Falls Church Hearing Office serves a large population across Virginia, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 51%. You can expect a professional environment where your evidence quality is the primary driver of success. See the NHC Falls Church 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 NHC Falls Church office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 45% to 69%. This variance highlights why understanding the local bench is important for your strategy.
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.