Approval rates
Judge Herring maintains a lifetime approval rate of 50%, a figure derived from 21,468 lifetime decisions during her 10-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, her approval rate was 57%, which compares to the 67% average at the Oak Park Hearing Office and the 58% national average. These statistics provide a broad view of historical trends rather than a guarantee of your future outcome.
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 Herring'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 her 10 years on the bench, Judge Herring has seen her approval rates fluctuate, showing a rise from 40% in 2016 to a peak of 60% in 2024. This trend suggests a shift in her decision-making pattern over the last decade. The most recent data indicates an approval rate of 56% in 2025. These variations often stem from changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Herring'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 Herring? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Oak Park hearing office
The Oak Park Hearing Office serves a significant population across Illinois, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 67%. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Oak Park 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 Oak Park Hearing Office, individual lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 36% to 80%. While these differences exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent across all courtrooms.
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.