Approval rates
When evaluating your claim, it is helpful to look at how a judge's history compares to broader benchmarks. Judge Hazel's lifetime approval rate of 68% is higher than the current 46% average at the NHC St Louis office and the 58% national average. These figures are derived from a docket of 3,587 lifetime decisions, providing a look at his judicial activity. 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 Hazel'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 his 2-year tenure, Judge Hazel has shown a consistent approach to disability claims. His approval rate moved from 66% in 2016 to 70% in 2017, reflecting a steady pattern of decision-making. This trend suggests a stable judicial philosophy throughout his time on the bench. The data indicates that his approach remains above the local and national averages, providing a baseline for understanding his courtroom history.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hazel'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 Hazel? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Nhc St Louis hearing office
The NHC St Louis Hearing Office serves you throughout Missouri and the surrounding region. It manages a volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 46%, which serves as a local benchmark for your claim. You can see the NHC St Louis Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the NHC St Louis bench, lifetime approval rates vary, ranging from 41% to 70% among the 6 judges. Because each judge has a unique perspective on evidence, understanding the office-wide landscape is useful. You can find more information on the NHC St Louis 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.