Approval rates
Judge Krolikowski maintains a lifetime approval rate of 45% across 862 decisions. This compares to the latest office average of 62%, the state average of 59%, and the national average of 58%. These figures provide a historical look at performance rather than 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 Krolikowski'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 2 years on the bench, your judge has shown a shift in approval patterns. Her career began with a 48% approval rate in 2016, followed by 22% in 2017. These fluctuations are often influenced by changes in the types of cases assigned or the quality of evidence presented in the courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Krolikowski'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 Krolikowski? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the San Rafael hearing office
The San Rafael Hearing Office manages a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an overall approval rate of 62%. You can visit the San Rafael Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the San Rafael office, the 6 ALJs range from 45% to 79% in their lifetime approval rates. Because you cannot choose your judge, the best strategy is to focus on the strength of your medical evidence.
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.