Approval rates
Understanding how your judge compares to their peers provides helpful context for your hearing. The 67% approval rate for Judge Kerins is based on 629 decisions on record since 2016. This figure sits within the 39% to 80% range observed among the 20 judges whose most recent office on record is the Sacramento hearing office.
SSA has not published a latest-period approval, fully favorable or denial breakdown for Judge Kerins. The most recent period with decisions on record is September 27, 2019. Those rows are left out rather than estimated.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Kerins'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 approval rate for Judge Kerins has shown an upward trend across the 629 decisions on record since 2016. The annual approval rate was 57% in 2016, 67% in 2017, 69% in 2018, and 82% in 2019.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kerins'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 Sacramento hearing office
Jean R. Kerins's most recent office on record is the Sacramento hearing office, with decisions there through September 2019. This office maintains a bench of 20 judges whose most recent office on record is this location.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Sacramento
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 20 judges whose most recent office on record is the Sacramento hearing office, with approval rates ranging from 39% to 80% on their since-2016 records.
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
Judge Kerins has a 67% approval rate on record since 2016. This falls within the 39% to 80% range of the 20 judges whose most recent office on record is the Sacramento hearing office. An attorney can help you prepare your case for the specific standards of this bench.
Yes, the approval rate for Judge Kerins has trended upward, moving from 57% in 2016 to 82% in 2019 across 629 total decisions on record. An attorney can help you understand how these trends might relate to your specific medical evidence.
No. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm. You cannot request a specific judge, which is why working with an attorney to build a strong case is essential regardless of who is assigned. An attorney can help you prepare your case for the specific standards of this bench.
The 67% approval rate on record since 2016 is a statistical observation of past performance, not a guarantee of a future outcome. Every case is unique, and the quality of your medical evidence is the primary factor in a disability decision. An attorney can help you organize your records to meet the specific requirements of your hearing.
