Approval rates
Evaluating your approval rate requires looking at the broader context of your specific hearing office. The Salt Lake City office features a bench with lifetime approval rates ranging from 28% to 85%. By comparing the 68% approval rate of Donald R. Jensen against this office-wide range, you can better understand how his decision-making aligns with local trends.
SSA has not published a latest-period approval, fully favorable or denial breakdown for Judge Jensen. The most recent period with decisions on record is September 30, 2016. Those rows are left out rather than estimated.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Jensen'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 record for Donald R. Jensen spans 101 lifetime decisions starting in 2016. Throughout this period, the approval rate has remained 68%. This consistency suggests that the judge maintains a steady approach to evaluating your disability claim.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Jensen'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 Salt Lake City hearing office
The Salt Lake City hearing office serves you and other claimants throughout Utah. This office maintains a bench of 9 judges on record, with an office-wide latest-period approval rate of 52%. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on the medical evidence provided in your file. You can visit the Salt Lake City hearing office page for the full roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 9 judges on record at this office since 2016. With lifetime approval rates across the office bench varying from 28% to 85%, the specific judge assigned to your case can influence your experience.
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
Donald R. Jensen has a lifetime approval rate of 68% across 101 decisions. This sits within the broader office range of 28% to 85% for all judges on record at the Salt Lake City office. An attorney can help you prepare your case by analyzing how these local trends might impact your specific claim.
The data for Donald R. Jensen shows an approval rate of 68% throughout his recorded period starting in 2016. This consistency indicates a stable approach to case evaluation. If you are concerned about how this pattern affects your hearing, an attorney can help you build a stronger case.
No, you cannot choose your judge. The SSA uses a random workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases to judges at the Salt Lake City office. An attorney can help you prepare for the hearing regardless of which judge is assigned to your file.
An SSDI hearing is a non-adversarial proceeding where the judge reviews your medical evidence and may hear testimony from you or vocational experts. It is an opportunity to explain how your impairments prevent you from working. An attorney can help you prepare for this process and ensure your evidence is presented clearly.
A judge's lifetime approval rate is a reflection of past decisions, not a guarantee of how they will rule on your specific case. Your outcome depends primarily on the quality of your medical evidence and your testimony. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of the bench.