Approval rates
Judge Humphrey has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 41% across 9,478 decisions. Compared to the latest reporting period, the judge's approval rate is 10 percentage points lower than the Omaha office average and 17 points below the national average of 58%. This data provides a statistical snapshot of the judge's history on the bench, though these aggregate rates do not predict the outcome of 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 Humphrey'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 six-year tenure, your judge has seen a varied yearly trend in approval rates. After an initial period, the rate fluctuated between 34% and 45% before settling at 40% in the most recent reporting year. These figures are based on 9,478 lifetime decisions, which provide a baseline for observing the judge's historical approach to case evaluation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Humphrey'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 Humphrey? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Omaha hearing office
The Omaha Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Nebraska and the surrounding region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases with an office-wide latest approval rate of 51%. You can expect a formal hearing process where your medical evidence and vocational testimony are prioritized. You can visit the Omaha Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Omaha office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 30% to 78%. While you may be assigned to any of the judges at this location, the fundamental requirements for proving your disability remain consistent regardless of who is presiding.
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.