Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at consistent timeframes. While your judge's overall approval rate since 2019 is 68%, the latest-period approval rate is 64%. This sits 5 percentage points below the South Jersey office's latest-period rate of 69%, but 6 percentage points above the national average of 58%. These figures are based on 1,983 decisions on record, providing a view of recent activity.
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 Olson'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
Since November 2019, the approval trend for Lisa Hibner Olson has shown variation. After a 52% approval rate in 2020, the figures rose to 80% in 2023 before moving to 64% in the partial 2026 fiscal year. With 1,983 total decisions on record, this pattern reflects a shift from the higher approval rates seen in the middle of the record window.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Olson'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.
About the South Jersey hearing office
Lisa Hibner Olson's most recent office on record is the South Jersey hearing office, with decisions there through July 2026. This office serves the region by processing disability claims with a bench of 13 judges. The office-wide latest-period approval rate is 69%, which provides a benchmark for the local hearing environment.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is South Jersey
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 13 judges whose most recent office on record is the South Jersey office, 8 of whom decided cases in the latest file through July 2026. Approval rates across this bench range from 50% to 93% on their records.
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Judge Lisa Hibner Olson's latest-period approval rate of 64% is 5 percentage points lower than the South Jersey office's latest-period average of 69%. Because case assignment is random, an attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of your hearing regardless of which judge is assigned.
Yes, the approval rate has fluctuated over time. It reached a high of 80% in 2023 before moving to 64% in the partial 2026 fiscal year. An attorney can help you understand how these trends might relate to the evidence in your case.
No, you cannot choose your judge. The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases to ensure efficiency. An attorney can help you prepare a strong case regardless of the judge assigned to your hearing.
An SSDI hearing is a formal but non-adversarial proceeding where the judge reviews your medical evidence and hears testimony. Having a qualified attorney can help you organize your records and prepare your testimony to ensure your case is presented clearly.
The 68% approval rate on record since 2019 is a historical statistic, not a guarantee of your outcome. Your specific medical evidence and work history are the most important factors in your claim. An attorney can help you evaluate your case strength against the judge's past patterns.
