Approval rates
Judge Hansen maintains a lifetime approval rate of 47% based on 34,746 decisions rendered over a 10-year career. In the most recent reporting period, you would find the judge recorded a 46% approval rate, which compares to a 41% average for the Little Rock office and a 58% national average. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding historical decision-making, though aggregate rates do not predict outcomes 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 Hansen'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 a decade on the bench, Judge Hansen has seen fluctuations in approval rates, ranging from a low of 43% in 2019 to a high of 53% in 2024. The data shows a consistent pattern of adjudication, with the most recent 44% approval rate in 2025 reflecting a return toward the long-term lifetime average. These shifts often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented in your local jurisdiction.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hansen'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 Hansen? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Little Rock hearing office
The Little Rock Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Arkansas and surrounding areas, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide approval rate that serves as a benchmark for local proceedings. You can expect a formal hearing process focused on the medical and vocational evidence supporting your claim. See the Little Rock 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 Judge Hansen is essentially random. Across the Little Rock office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 27% to 52%. This variance highlights why your specific medical evidence and testimony are the most critical factors in your hearing. Guidance remains consistent regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
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.