Approval rates
Judge LA Vicka maintains a lifetime approval rate of 49% based on 20,368 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, the judge recorded a 54% approval rate, compared to the 58% average seen across the Morgantown Hearing Office. These figures provide a statistical look at historical outcomes, though they do not guarantee a specific result for your claim.
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 La Vicka'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 a decade on the bench, Judge LA Vicka has seen yearly approval rates fluctuate between a low of 39% in 2018 and a high of 55% in 2024. The data indicates a pattern of decision-making that has stabilized in recent years. The most recent reporting period shows a 54% approval rate, which aligns with the performance trends observed since 2022.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge La Vicka'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 LA Vicka? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Morgantown hearing office
The Morgantown Hearing Office serves you across West Virginia and surrounding areas, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 58%. You can expect a formal process focused on detailed medical documentation and vocational expert testimony. You can visit the Morgantown 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 Morgantown Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 49% to 66%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the hearing room, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful.
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.