Approval rates
The approval rate for Judge Hilleren is calculated from 7,358 lifetime decisions. Her lifetime rate is 40%, and her latest approval rate trails the New Orleans office average by 13 percentage points and the national average by 18 percentage points. These figures reflect the volume of cases processed during her tenure. 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 Hilleren'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 4 years on the bench, Judge Hilleren has maintained a consistent decision-making profile. Her yearly approval rates were 36% in 2016, 43% in 2017, 40% in 2018, and 36% in 2019. This fluctuation is common as case mixes and evidentiary standards evolve. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, suggesting that her approach to evaluating your disability claim remains predictable based on her established history.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hilleren'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 Hilleren? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the New Orleans hearing office
The New Orleans Hearing Office serves a significant population across Louisiana, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 53%. You can expect a formal hearing process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the New Orleans Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the New Orleans office, the 6 ALJs range from 36% to 70% in their lifetime approval rates. Because of this variance, understanding the local landscape is a standard part of your case preparation. You can find more information on the New Orleans 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.