Approval rates
To understand where your case stands, it is helpful to compare Judge Kim's performance against broader benchmarks. His lifetime approval rate of 42% is derived from a significant docket of 19,614 decisions, providing a stable statistical baseline. While his latest period shows an approval rate of 38%, this should be viewed alongside the NHC Falls Church office average of 51% and the national average of 58%. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Kim'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 Kim has maintained a consistent approach to case adjudication. His yearly approval trends show fluctuations, with a notable peak in 2024 at 53% before adjusting to 40% in 2025. This variation often reflects changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of medical evidence presented. Because his career spans multiple offices, including significant tenures in NHC Falls Church, his decision-making reflects a deep familiarity with Social Security Administration regulations. The latest period indicates a return toward his long-term average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kim'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 Kim? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Nhc Falls Church hearing office
The NHC Falls Church hearing office serves a large population in Virginia and the surrounding region. It is one of the busiest offices in the country, managing a high volume of disability claims with a dedicated team of administrative law judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 51%, reflecting the diverse nature of cases heard in this jurisdiction. You can see the /disability-benefits/hearing-offices/falls-church-va 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 NHC Falls Church office, the bench consists of 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 42% to 69%. This variance highlights why the specific judge assigned to your case is only one factor in your overall outcome. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you're 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.