Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and recent trends. Judge Janney has maintained a consistent presence on the bench for a decade, providing a large dataset of 23,903 decisions to evaluate. While the latest reporting period shows an approval rate of 47%, it is important to view this against the backdrop of the office average of 55% and the national average of 58%. 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 Janney'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 the past 10 years, Judge Janney has presided over a significant volume of cases, showing a steady adjudication style. While the annual approval rate has fluctuated between 41% and 55% during this tenure, the overall trend remains consistent with his long-term average. The most recent data reflects a period where the approval rate has remained within a predictable range compared to earlier years. This consistency suggests that he follows a stable approach to evaluating medical evidence and vocational factors.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Janney'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 Janney? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Evansville hearing office
The Evansville Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Indiana and the surrounding region, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 55%. You can expect a formal proceeding where the quality of your medical documentation is the primary factor in the outcome. You can see the Evansville 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 Evansville Hearing Office, approval rates among the bench vary, ranging from 49% to 57% over their respective careers. Because you cannot choose your judge, your focus should remain on building a robust medical file. You can find more information on the office's general operations on the Evansville 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.