Approval rates
Judge Holbrook maintains a lifetime approval rate of 51% based on 24,165 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, this rate was 51%, which is 11 percentage points lower than the Portland ME office average and 7 points below the national average. These figures reflect a significant volume of cases handled over a 10-year tenure on the bench. 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 Holbrook'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 of service, Judge Holbrook has seen approval rates fluctuate, peaking at 55% in 2016 before reaching a low of 43% in 2021. Recent years show a recovery, with 2024 and 2025 data indicating a return to the 52% to 54% range. This trend suggests a stabilization in decision-making patterns following the mid-tenure dip.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Holbrook'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 Holbrook? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Portland ME hearing office
The Portland ME Hearing Office serves you throughout Maine and surrounding regions. This office manages a diverse caseload with an office-wide latest approval rate of 62%. You can expect a rigorous review of medical evidence in accordance with Social Security Administration guidelines. You can visit the Portland ME 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Portland ME office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 40% to 75%. While these variations exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain constant. 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.