Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both lifetime averages and recent trends. While the national average approval rate sits at 58%, you should note that Judge Kleeb maintains a lifetime rate of 54% across a docket of 18,361 decisions. This data provides a statistical baseline for understanding the Seven Fields office environment. 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 Kleeb'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 9 years on the bench, Judge Kleeb has overseen 18,361 decisions. The yearly trend shows a period of lower approval rates between 2019 and 2022, followed by a shift toward higher approval rates starting in 2023. The most recent reporting period shows an approval rate of 62%. This recent uptick may reflect changes in case mix or evidence quality.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kleeb'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 Kleeb? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Seven Fields hearing office
The Seven Fields Hearing Office serves a significant portion of Pennsylvania, managing a high volume of disability claims. With 6 judges on the bench, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 71%. You can expect a professional environment focused on the rigorous evaluation of medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Seven Fields 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Seven Fields bench, lifetime approval rates for the 6 judges range from 54% to 71%. This variance highlights why preparation is vital regardless of the specific judge assigned to your hearing. You can find more information on the Seven Fields 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.