Approval rates
Cynthia S. Harmon's 62% approval rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, compares to a 60% office rate, a 60% state rate, and a 58% national rate for the same period.
SSA publishes no office- or national-level breakdown of fully favorable and denial rates. The 12 months are SSA's figures for this fiscal year to date plus the rest of the previous fiscal year; how we calculate them.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Harmon'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
Since October 2016, Cynthia S. Harmon has issued 4,242 decisions with an overall approval rate of 55%. Her yearly approval rates were 53% in 2017, 44% in 2018, 53% in 2019, 57% in 2020, 56% in 2021, 52% in 2022, 55% in 2023, 61% in 2024, 59% in 2025, and 61% in 2026.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Harmon'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 Grand Rapids hearing office
The Grand Rapids office is the most recent office on record for 10 judges, 6 of whom decided cases there in SSA's latest file. The office maintained a 60% approval rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Grand Rapids
The 6 judges who decided cases at the Grand Rapids office in SSA's latest file range from 40% to 73% in approval rates over the 12 months to July 31, 2026.
Judges with similar approval rates
These active judges' approval rates over the same 12 months (July 26, 2025 – July 31, 2026) are closest to Judge Harmon's 62%. All five last decided cases in Michigan.
- 62% Approval rate, last 12 months Therese Tobin
- 63% Approval rate, last 12 months Andrew G. Sloss
- 63% Approval rate, last 12 months Adam Dale
- 64% Approval rate, last 12 months Kevin R. Himebaugh
- 60% Approval rate, last 12 months Amy L. Rosenberg
Rates within 5 points of each other are hard to tell apart at a typical caseload, so treat these as judges with comparable records, not a ranking. See Judge Harmon and the three closest side by side →
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
Cynthia S. Harmon's 62% approval rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, sits within the 40% to 73% range observed among the 6 judges who decided cases at the Grand Rapids office in SSA's latest file. An attorney can help you prepare for your hearing.
Cynthia S. Harmon has a 55% approval rate on her 4,242 decisions recorded since 2016. Her approval rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, was 62%. An attorney can help you prepare for your hearing.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases randomly. An attorney can help you prepare for your hearing.
An approval rate is a statistical summary of past decisions and does not predict the outcome of your specific hearing. Your success depends on the evidence you provide. An attorney can help you prepare for your hearing.
