Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Kittinger has maintained a 27% lifetime approval rate over 4,312 decisions. This is 25 percentage points below the Lexington Hearing Office average and 31 points below the national average of 58%. These figures represent a summary of past decisions, not a prediction for 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 Kittinger'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 her 2 years on the bench, Judge Kittinger has presided over 4,312 decisions. Her approval rate moved from 27% in 2016 to 29% in 2017. This pattern suggests a stable approach to case evaluation throughout her tenure. The data reflects a consistent judicial philosophy regarding the evidence required for benefit approval.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kittinger'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 Kittinger? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Lexington hearing office
The Lexington Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Kentucky, managing a significant volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges and an office-wide latest approval rate of 52%, the office handles a diverse range of medical and vocational claims. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on the documentation of your impairments. You can visit the Lexington Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Lexington Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 27% to 54%. This variance highlights why it is important to focus on the strength of your own medical evidence rather than the specific judge 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.