Approval rates
Judge Greener maintains a lifetime approval rate of 50%, which provides a statistical baseline for your hearing. When compared to the Syracuse Hearing Office latest approval rate of 56%, her recent decisions show a variance of 6 percentage points. These figures are derived from a docket of 3,322 lifetime decisions, offering a view of her historical approach. 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 Greener'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 2 years on the bench, Judge Greener has presided over 3,322 lifetime decisions. Her approval rate shifted from 52% in 2016 to 45% in 2017. Monitoring these shifts is helpful for understanding the environment of your upcoming hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Greener'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 Greener? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Syracuse hearing office
The Syracuse Hearing Office serves a broad population across New York, managing a volume of SSDI claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a focus on processing medical and vocational evidence. You can expect a formal administrative process governed by 20 CFR Part 404. You can see the Syracuse Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning you cannot choose your judge. Within the Syracuse Hearing Office, the office's 6 ALJs range from 43% to 60% in their lifetime approval rates. While these variations exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent. For your preparation, 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.