Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Percival Harmon currently maintains a 45% lifetime approval rate, which is 11 percentage points lower than the Chicago office average and 13 points below the national average. These figures are derived from 459 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of their historical record. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions 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 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
Over a one-year tenure, Percival Harmon has maintained a consistent approval pattern. With 459 lifetime decisions, the data reflects a steady approach to evaluating your disability claim. While the latest reporting period shows a variance compared to the office-wide average, this is common in the context of varying case mixes and evidence quality. This pattern suggests a stable judicial approach that has remained predictable throughout their time on the bench.
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.
Hearing with Judge Harmon? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Chicago hearing office
The Chicago hearing office serves a significant volume of claimants across Illinois. As one of 6 judges at this location, Percival Harmon operates within a busy administrative environment where the office-wide latest approval rate is 56%. You can expect a rigorous review process focused on the specific medical documentation provided in your files. You can see the Chicago 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Chicago office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 41% to 69%. This variance highlights that while the judge matters, the strength of your medical evidence is the primary driver of your case. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.