Approval rates
Judge Kelly's approval rate is higher than the broader trends observed in the Albany Hearing Office and across the United States. In the most recent reporting period, his 90% approval rate sits 14 points above the office average and 23 points above the national average. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 20,569 lifetime decisions. 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 Kelly'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 10-year tenure, Judge Kelly has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. After a period of decline between 2020 and 2022, his approval rate has trended upward, reaching 90% in the most recent period. This recent shift suggests a focus on the evidence presented in current cases. Understanding this trajectory can help you and your representative focus on the medical documentation that carries the most weight in his courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kelly'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 Kelly? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Albany hearing office
The Albany (New York) Hearing Office serves a significant population of claimants throughout the region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases to ensure timely access to hearings. The office-wide latest approval rate is 67%, which provides a baseline for the local environment. You can view the Albany 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 Albany Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 49% to 81%, highlighting the variance that can exist even within a single office. Regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing, the fundamental requirements for proving your disability remain the same.
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.