Approval rates
Judge Hajjar maintains a lifetime approval rate of 31% based on 19,599 decisions rendered during his 10-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate was 33%, which compares to an office-wide rate of 53% and a national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding his historical decision-making patterns. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Hajjar'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Hajjar has maintained a consistent pattern of approvals, with yearly rates generally fluctuating between 27% and 36%. While his most recent 33% approval rate shows a slight variance from his lifetime average, the overall trend remains steady. This consistency suggests a stable approach to evaluating evidence and medical documentation. The recent period reflects a continuation of this long-term pattern in his Cleveland courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hajjar'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.
About the Cleveland hearing office
The Cleveland Hearing Office serves claimants across Ohio, managing a high volume of disability cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 53%, reflecting the regional landscape of SSDI claims. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Cleveland 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 assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Cleveland Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 31% to 65%. While these rates differ, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent across all courtrooms. The guidance for your preparation remains the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.