Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. While the national average approval rate stands at 58%, Judge Kroenecke maintains a lifetime rate of 50% across her 23,319 lifetime decisions. These figures reflect a decade of service and a high volume of cases, offering a stable look at her decision-making 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 Kroenecke'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 Kroenecke has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. Her yearly approval rates have fluctuated, showing a rise in recent periods compared to her earlier career. While her latest reporting period shows an approval rate of 54%, this remains a reflection of her broader career pattern. These trends suggest that evidence quality and case-specific details remain the primary drivers of your final decision.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Kroenecke'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 Kroenecke? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Indianapolis hearing office
The Indianapolis Hearing Office serves a large population across Indiana, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 61%. You can expect a professional environment focused on the specific medical documentation provided in your files. You can see the Indianapolis Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your judge is selected randomly. Within the Indianapolis Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 48% to 72%. This variance highlights why you should focus on the merits of your own medical evidence regardless of your specific assignment. You can find more information on the Indianapolis 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.