Approval rates
When reviewing your case, it is helpful to look at how a judge's approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. Judge Hoover has maintained a consistent presence on the bench over her 10-year career, providing a large dataset of 25,971 lifetime decisions to analyze. Her latest approval rate of 40% is 23 percentage points below the national average of 58%. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting the outcome of 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 Hoover'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 10-year tenure, Judge Hoover has shown a steady decision pattern. Her approval rates have fluctuated between a low of 27% in 2016 and a high of 40% in 2020 and 2025. This recent performance reflects a continuation of her established approach to evaluating disability claims. The data suggests that her decision-making remains stable, with the latest period showing a slight increase compared to her overall lifetime average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hoover'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 Hoover? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Las Vegas hearing office
The Las Vegas Hearing Office serves residents across Nevada, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office currently reports an approval rate of 60%. You can expect a standard hearing process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Las Vegas Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. At the Las Vegas Hearing Office, the office's 6 ALJs range from 35% to 68% in their lifetime approval rates. Because each judge has a unique approach to evidence, understanding the office-wide environment is useful. You can find more information on the Las Vegas 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.