Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Kawalek maintains a 40% lifetime approval rate, which is evaluated against the latest Colorado Springs office average of 44% and the national average of 58%. With a docket spanning 10 years, these figures offer a stable look at historical trends. 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 Kawalek'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 his 10 years on the bench, Judge Kawalek has presided over 23,796 lifetime decisions. His yearly approval trends show fluctuations, with rates ranging from a low of 34% in 2020 to peaks of 45% in 2017 and 2022. The most recent reporting period shows an approval rate of 40%, which remains consistent with his long-term career average. This steady pattern suggests a predictable approach to evidence evaluation over the course of his tenure.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kawalek'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 Kawalek? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Colorado Springs hearing office
The Colorado Springs Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across the region, managing a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an office-wide approval rate of 44%, reflecting the local adjudicatory environment. You can expect a formal hearing process focused on the specific medical documentation supporting your disability claim. You can visit the Colorado Springs Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Colorado Springs Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 23% to 51%. This variance highlights why focusing on your own medical evidence is critical. You can find more information on the office's general operations on the 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.