Approval rates
Judge Kleber's approval rate is evaluated against the Lexington Hearing Office and national benchmarks to provide context for your hearing. In the most recent reporting period, her 68% approval rate stands 9 points above the office average and 3 points above the national average. With a decade of experience and over 16,000 decisions, this data offers a stable look at her judicial history. 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 Kleber'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Kleber has shown an upward trajectory in her approval patterns. After a dip in 2018, her rate climbed to 72% in 2020 and has remained near 70% in recent years. This recent performance remains higher than her lifetime average of 61%. These trends suggest a steady approach to case evaluation, though the specific evidence in your file remains the most critical factor in your outcome.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kleber'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 Kleber? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Lexington hearing office
The Lexington (Kentucky) Hearing Office serves a broad population across the region, managing a high volume of disability claims. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 52%, the local bench handles complex medical and vocational evidence daily. You can expect a formal hearing process focused on the specific requirements of the Social Security Administration. You can view the full ALJ roster on the Lexington (Kentucky) Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration 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 ALJs range from 46% to 61%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the courtroom, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful. You can find more information on the Lexington hearing office page.
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.