Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader benchmarks helps provide context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Grippo's approval rate currently trails the NHC Chicago office average of 51% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 11,703 lifetime decisions. 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 Grippo'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 6 years on the bench, Judge Grippo has seen fluctuations in approval patterns. After reaching a peak of 46% in 2018, the rate shifted in subsequent years, settling at 28% in 2021. This trend indicates that the judge's decision-making has evolved, potentially reflecting changes in the types of cases or the quality of evidence presented. The recent period shows a departure from earlier mid-career averages.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Grippo'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 Grippo? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Nhc Chicago hearing office
The NHC Chicago Hearing Office serves a large population in Illinois, managing a high volume of disability claims. As one of the busier offices in the region, it maintains an office-wide approval rate that reflects the complex nature of the cases heard there. You can expect a rigorous review process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the NHC Chicago Hearing Office page for more information.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the NHC Chicago Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 38% to 69%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is vital. 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.