Approval rates
Judge Katzman maintains a lifetime approval rate of 48% based on 1,711 lifetime decisions. His rate is 7 percentage points lower than the Philadelphia office average and 10 percentage points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a view of his historical decision-making, though aggregate rates do not predict the outcome of 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 Katzman'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
During his 1 year on the bench, Judge Katzman has maintained a consistent approval pattern. His lifetime rate of 48% reflects his approach to the evidence presented in his courtroom. While recent data shows a variance from the broader office averages, his decision-making remains stable, suggesting a consistent standard applied to the cases you present.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Katzman'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 Katzman? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Philadelphia hearing office
The Philadelphia Hearing Office serves a large population in Pennsylvania and operates with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 55%. You can expect a professional hearing process focused on the medical and vocational evidence provided in your file. You can visit the Philadelphia Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Philadelphia Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 41% to 70%. This variance highlights that the judge you draw can differ in their approach, though the preparation required for your case remains the same regardless of your assignment.
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.