Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at consistent timeframes. While your judge's overall approval rate since 2023 is 70%, her latest-period approval rate of 82% stands higher than the office average of 70%, the state average of 61%, and the national average of 58%. These figures rely on a sample of 1,195 decisions on record. 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 Irias'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
The approval trend for Sigrid Irias has shown variation since 2023. After an initial 74% approval rate in 2023, the rate shifted to 68% in 2024 and 63% in 2025. The most recent data from 2026 shows a rise to 80% based on partial fiscal year figures. This latest period reflects a departure from the previous downward trend.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Irias'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.
About the Los Angeles Downtown hearing office
The Los Angeles Downtown hearing office is the most recent office on record for 10 judges. The office maintains a latest-period approval rate of 70%.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Los Angeles Downtown
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 10 judges whose most recent office on record is this one, with 4 of them having decided cases here in the latest file through July 2026. Approval rates for this group range from 38% to 78% on their records.
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Sigrid Irias maintains a 70% approval rate since 2023, which sits within the 38% to 78% range established by the 10 judges whose most recent office on record is this one. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific evidentiary expectations of this bench.
Yes, the rate has fluctuated, moving from 74% in 2023 to 63% in 2025, before rising to 80% in the partial 2026 fiscal year. Understanding these trends is part of how an attorney can help you build a stronger case.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency, making the assignment process random. An attorney can help you prepare for your hearing regardless of your assigned judge.
The 70% approval rate on record since 2023 is a reflection of past decisions, not a prediction for your specific hearing. Your outcome depends primarily on the medical evidence and testimony you provide, which an attorney can help you organize.
