Approval rates
The approval rate for Judge Kirzner is based on 18,607 lifetime decisions, providing a clear view of his historical decision-making. In the latest reporting period, his approval rate was 51%, which is 5 percentage points lower than both the Tampa office average and the national average of 58%. These figures serve as a baseline for understanding how cases have been decided in his courtroom. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting the outcome of your specific 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 Kirzner'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 Kirzner has maintained a steady decision pattern. After an initial period in 2016, his approval rates stabilized, fluctuating between 49% and 59% in the years since. The latest period shows a rate of 51%, which aligns with his long-term career average of 53%. This consistency suggests a stable approach to evaluating evidence and medical documentation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kirzner'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 Kirzner? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Tampa hearing office
The Tampa hearing office serves a large population across Florida, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 58%. You can expect a professional environment where evidence quality and medical records are the primary drivers of the decision process. You can visit the Tampa Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Tampa hearing office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 48% to 70%. Because of this variance, the judge you draw can influence the procedural flow of your hearing. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent 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.