Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at consistent timeframes. The 47% approval rate for Bonnie Hannan covers all decisions on record since January 2016, a period during which the bench at this office has seen approval rates ranging from 29% to 85%. In the most recent reporting period, Bonnie Hannan's 54% approval rate sits 9 points below the 63% average for the Washington office. These figures provide a baseline for understanding the judge's history.
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 Hannan'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
The 1,011 decisions on record for Bonnie Hannan since January 2016 show a fluctuating pattern. After an approval rate of 42% in 2016, the rate moved to 46% in 2017 before dipping to 42% in 2018. The latest period shows an approval rate of 54%, which reflects a recent uptick compared to her long-term average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hannan'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 Washington hearing office
The Washington hearing office serves you in the District of Columbia and surrounding areas. As the most recent office on record for Bonnie Hannan as of July 2026, it maintains a bench of 33 judges with a latest-period office-wide approval rate of 63%. You can see the Washington hearing office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Washington
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 33 judges whose most recent office on record is the Washington office, 14 of whom decided cases in the latest file through July 2026. Approval rates across this bench vary significantly, ranging from 29% to 85% since 2016.
Approval rates change 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.
Frequently asked questions
Bonnie Hannan's latest-period approval rate of 54% is 9 points lower than the 63% average for the Washington office. Because case assignment is random, an attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this judge's courtroom.
Yes, the rate has fluctuated over time. While the approval rate was 42% in 2016, it reached 54% in the most recent reporting period. A qualified attorney can help you understand how these trends might relate to your specific case.
No. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency. You cannot choose your judge, but an attorney can help you prepare for whichever judge is assigned to your hearing.
An SSDI hearing is a formal but non-adversarial proceeding where a judge reviews your medical evidence and testimony. Having an attorney can help you organize your records and prepare your testimony to meet the judge's expectations.
An approval rate is a statistical summary of past decisions, not a prediction of your outcome. Your success depends primarily on the quality of your medical evidence and how well you document your disability. An attorney can help you build the strongest possible case.
