Approval rates
Judge Hartman's approval rate is measured against the broader context of the Denver Hearing Office and national standards. While the office maintains an approval rate of 62%, Judge Hartman's lifetime performance reflects a rate of 47%. These figures are derived from a docket of 3,435 lifetime decisions, providing a statistical baseline. 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 Hartman'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 two-year tenure, Judge Hartman's decision-making has remained consistent. Starting with a 48% approval rate in 2016, the trend shifted to 45% in 2017. This pattern reflects a steady approach to evaluating your disability claim within the Denver jurisdiction. The judge's current approval rate is 15 percentage points below the office average, a trend that may reflect variations in case complexity or the medical evidence presented in your file.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hartman'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 Hartman? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Denver hearing office
The Denver Hearing Office serves a wide population across Colorado, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office operates under the broader SSA guidelines for administrative hearings. You can expect a formal process focused on the medical and vocational evidence supporting your claim. You can visit the Denver 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 you cannot choose your judge. Within the Denver Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 45% to 62%. This variance highlights why the specific judge assigned to your case is only one factor in your overall strategy. You can find more information on the office's general operations on the Denver Hearing Office page.
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.