Approval rates
Judge Heyer maintains a lifetime approval rate of 61%, which compares favorably to the 45% latest approval rate at the San Francisco Hearing Office. When looking at the most recent reporting period, the judge's rate was 16 percentage points higher than the office average and 3 points above the national average. These statistics are derived from a significant docket of 5,567 lifetime decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Heyer'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 3 years on the bench, Judge Heyer has shown a variable trend in his approval patterns. The data indicates an initial approval rate of 58% in 2016, followed by a rise to 64% in 2017. The most recent reporting period in 2018 shows a shift to 45% over a smaller sample of cases. This fluctuation may reflect changes in the complexity of cases assigned or shifts in the evidentiary requirements presented during hearings.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Heyer'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 Heyer? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the San Francisco hearing office
The San Francisco Hearing Office serves a diverse population across California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office handles a consistent flow of cases that require careful documentation and medical testimony. The office-wide latest approval rate is 45%, reflecting the rigorous standards applied to claims in this region. You can see the San Francisco Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Across the San Francisco Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates for the bench range from 38% to 66%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is vital to focus on the strength of your medical evidence. You can view the full office roster on the San Francisco 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.