Approval rates
The approval rate for Judge Koclanes is calculated based on 3,994 lifetime decisions rendered during their tenure. In the most recent reporting period, the judge maintained an approval rate of 48%, which compares to an office-wide average of 44% and a national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical snapshot of the judge's history rather than a guarantee of your future results.
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 Koclanes'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
Since joining the bench 3 years ago, Judge Koclanes has presided over a significant volume of cases. The yearly trend shows an approval rate of 61% in 2023, 46% in 2024, and 49% in 2025. This movement indicates that your judge's decision-making has stabilized following their initial period on the bench.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Koclanes'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 Koclanes? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Charlottesville hearing office
The Charlottesville Hearing Office serves you throughout the region, managing a diverse caseload of disability applications. The office currently operates with a bench of 6 judges, maintaining an office-wide latest approval rate of 44%. You can expect a standard hearing process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can see the Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 39% to 82%. Because your assigned judge is determined by administrative factors, understanding the broader office environment is useful.
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.