Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to office and national benchmarks provides context for your hearing process. Judge Kilgannon has maintained a consistent record over his 10-year tenure, with his latest approval rate of 74% currently trending 3 percentage points above the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 19,326 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of his historical decision-making. 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 Kilgannon'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 Kilgannon has seen his approval rates fluctuate within a stable range. After starting with a 52% approval rate in 2016, his annual figures have generally trended between 55% and 64% for most of his tenure. The most recent reporting period shows an increase to 74%, which diverges from his lifetime average of 61%. This recent shift may reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented during those specific years.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kilgannon'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 Kilgannon? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Long Island hearing office
The Long Island Hearing Office serves residents across the region, managing a high volume of Social Security Disability Insurance claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where case processing is handled according to federal standards. You can expect a formal hearing process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Long Island Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Long Island Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 57% to 81%. Because case assignment is outside of your control, focusing on the strength of your medical evidence remains the most effective strategy. The guidance for your preparation is 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.