Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and recent activity. Judge Hogan has served on the bench for 10 years, providing a substantial dataset of 22,724 lifetime decisions. While the latest approval rate of 61% is a useful benchmark, it should be viewed alongside the broader office and national averages to understand the local context. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting outcomes for your specific 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 Hogan'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 a decade on the bench, the approval rate for Judge Hogan has fluctuated. After a period of lower approval rates between 2020 and 2021, the data indicates a rise in favorable outcomes, reaching 61% in the most recent reporting period. This recent trend suggests a shift in case outcomes that may be influenced by changes in evidence quality or the specific types of cases assigned. These patterns provide insight into the judge's historical approach to disability claims.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hogan'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 Hogan? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Raleigh hearing office
The Raleigh Hearing Office serves a large population across North Carolina, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 62%. You can expect a formal process focused on the medical and vocational evidence presented in your file. You can see the Raleigh 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 you cannot choose your judge. Within the Raleigh Hearing Office, approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 40% to 69% over their respective careers. This variance highlights why your specific medical evidence remains the most critical factor in your hearing. You can find more information on the Raleigh 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.