Approval rates
When evaluating your hearing, comparing a judge's lifetime performance against recent benchmarks provides necessary context. Judge Hebert has maintained a consistent presence on the bench over 10 years, with a lifetime approval rate of 48%. In the most recent reporting period, the judge recorded an approval rate of 51%, which tracks against the 57% office average and the 58% national average. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 22,623 lifetime decisions. 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 Hebert'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 the past decade, your judge's approval rate has remained relatively steady, showing minor fluctuations. While the rate reached 53% in 2017 and 54% in 2023, the overall trend reflects a stable approach to case evaluation. The most recent period's 51% approval rate aligns closely with the judge's long-term historical average. This consistency suggests that the judge's decision-making process is well-established.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hebert'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 Hebert? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Houston North hearing office
The Houston North Hearing Office serves a large population in Texas, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 57%. You can expect a review process where medical documentation and vocational testimony are central to the outcome. You can visit the Houston North 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 Houston North Hearing Office, approval rates among the bench vary, ranging from 43% to 62%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your own medical evidence remains the most critical factor in your hearing. 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.