Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and recent trends. Judge Kane has maintained a high approval rate over 20,637 lifetime decisions. While his latest period approval rate is 67%, this remains higher than the 58% national average. These figures reflect past decisions rather than predictions for your specific case.
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 Kane'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 decade on the bench, Judge Kane has shown a consistent approach to disability claims. His approval rates have remained steady, typically hovering between 70% and 75% throughout his tenure. While the most recent period shows a rate of 67%, this remains consistent with his long-term historical performance. This pattern suggests a judge who applies a stable framework to the evidence presented in your case.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kane'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 Kane? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Rochester hearing office
The Rochester Hearing Office manages a high volume of disability claims with a team of 4 administrative law judges. The office maintains a latest-period approval rate of 74%. You can expect a professional environment focused on the specific medical documentation of your impairment. You can visit the Rochester Hearing Office page for more information on the local roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Across the Rochester office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 66% to 78%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is important to focus on the strength of your medical evidence. The guidance for your hearing remains the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.