Approval rates
Evaluating a judge's history requires looking at how their approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. Judge Hardy's lifetime approval rate of 60% provides a baseline for her tenure, while her latest-period rate of 56% offers a view of her recent activity. These figures are measured against the Topeka KS office average of 43% and the national average of 58%. With a substantial docket of 14,285 lifetime decisions, these statistics offer a reliable view of her judicial 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 Hardy'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 9 years on the bench, Judge Hardy has maintained a consistent approach to disability adjudication. Her yearly approval trends show a peak in 2018 followed by a period of relative stability, with recent years hovering near her lifetime average. This consistency suggests a predictable framework for how evidence is weighed in her courtroom. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, indicating that her approach to case evaluation remains grounded in her long-term experience.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hardy'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 Hardy? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Topeka KS hearing office
The Topeka KS Hearing Office serves you across Kansas, managing a high volume of disability cases. The office currently operates with a bench of 6 judges who handle a diverse range of medical and vocational evidence. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 43%, the environment is focused on thorough evidentiary review. You can visit the Topeka KS 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 Topeka KS Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 24% to 60%. This variance highlights why understanding the local bench is a helpful step in your preparation.
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.