Approval rates
Judge Herman has maintained a consistent record over his 10-year tenure, presiding over 21,328 lifetime decisions. His latest approval rate of 53% is currently 11 percentage points below the Tallahassee FL OHO office average and 6 points below the national average. These figures provide a baseline for understanding the judicial environment in Tallahassee. 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 Herman'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 experienced fluctuations, starting at 63% in 2016 before settling into a more moderate range. Following a period of lower approval rates around 2019, recent decisions have shown a return to a more stable pattern, with a 54% approval rate recorded in 2025. This trend suggests a consistent approach to evaluating evidence and disability criteria. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Herman'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 Herman? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Tallahassee Fl Oho hearing office
The Tallahassee FL OHO serves a broad region of Florida, managing a high volume of disability claims with a team of 6 administrative law judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 63%, reflecting the local adjudicative environment. You should be prepared for a rigorous review of your medical documentation and work history. You can see the Tallahassee FL OHO 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 your assignment to Judge Herman is essentially random. The Tallahassee FL OHO bench is diverse, with lifetime approval rates among the office's 6 ALJs ranging from 51% to 76%. Because you cannot choose your judge, focusing on the quality of your medical evidence remains the most effective way to strengthen your claim. 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.