Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks helps you understand the environment of your upcoming hearing. Judge Hoffman maintains a 51% lifetime approval rate, which you can evaluate against the latest Syracuse office average of 56% and the national average of 58%. With 12,592 lifetime decisions, this data provides a statistically significant look at her history on the bench. 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 Hoffman'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 9-year tenure, Judge Hoffman has seen her approval rates fluctuate. While her lifetime average sits at 51%, recent annual trends show a dynamic pattern, with approval rates shifting between 46% and 59% in the last few years. This movement suggests that the judge's approach remains responsive to the specific medical evidence and vocational testimony presented in each case. The latest period reflects a continuation of this evidence-focused pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hoffman'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 Hoffman? A free benefit check tells you if you qualify.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Syracuse hearing office
The Syracuse Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across central New York, managing a high volume of disability appeals. The office maintains an active bench of 6 judges who oversee thousands of hearings annually. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 56%, this location handles a diverse range of physical and mental health claims. You can visit the Syracuse 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. Across the Syracuse bench, the 6 ALJs have lifetime approval rates ranging from 43% to 60%. Because assignment is outside of your control, focusing on the strength of your medical documentation is the most effective way to prepare. 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.