Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at consistent timeframes. While your judge's overall approval rate since 2017 is 30%, her latest-period rate of 22% sits 29 points below the St Louis office average of 51%. These figures are derived from a significant volume of cases, providing a clear view of historical trends.
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 Jecklin'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
Since December 2017, the approval pattern for Katherine Jecklin has shown yearly fluctuations, moving from 28% in 2018 to a peak of 36% in 2025. The most recent fiscal year-to-date data shows an approval rate of 23% over 279 decisions. This recent figure represents a shift from the previous year's performance, reflecting changes in the complexity of cases or the evidence presented during your hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Jecklin'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 St Louis hearing office
Katherine Jecklin's most recent office on record is the St Louis hearing office, which serves the Missouri region. This office maintains a bench of 20 judges who handle a high volume of disability claims. With an office-wide latest-period approval rate of 51%, you can expect a rigorous review of your medical and vocational evidence.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is St Louis
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your judge is assigned randomly. There are 20 judges whose most recent office on record is the St Louis office, 13 of whom decided cases in the latest SSA file. Approval rates across this bench range from 30% to 78% on their records since 2016.
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
Judge Jecklin's latest-period approval rate of 22% is 29 points lower than the St Louis office average of 51%. Because cases are assigned randomly, you may be scheduled before any of the 20 judges at this office. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this hearing office.
Yes, the rate has fluctuated over time. After starting at 28% in 2018, it reached 36% in 2025 before moving to 23% in the most recent partial year. An attorney can help you understand how these trends might relate to your specific medical evidence.
No, you cannot choose your judge. The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases to ensure efficiency. An attorney can help you prepare a strong case regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing.
A hearing is a formal proceeding where a judge reviews your medical records and may hear testimony from you and vocational or medical experts. It is your opportunity to explain how your impairments prevent you from working. An attorney can help you prepare your testimony and organize your evidence for the hearing.
The 30% approval rate on record since 2017 reflects past decisions and is not a prediction of your outcome. Your success depends primarily on the medical evidence and documentation supporting your disability claim. An attorney can help you ensure your case is as strong as possible before you appear before the judge.
