Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime approval rate to current office and national benchmarks provides context for your hearing. While the national average sits at 58%, Judge Labrousse maintains a 40% lifetime approval rate based on 19,580 decisions. These figures are derived from extensive docket data, offering a clear view of historical trends. 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 Labrousse'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 10-year tenure, Judge Labrousse has presided over 19,580 decisions. The yearly trend shows a fluctuating pattern, with approval rates moving between 35% and 49% throughout the decade. While the most recent period shows an approval rate of 42%, this remains consistent with the judge's long-term historical average. These variations often reflect shifts in the complexity of cases or the specific medical evidence presented during a given year.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Labrousse'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 Labrousse? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Ft Lauderdale hearing office
The Ft Lauderdale Hearing Office serves a significant population across Florida, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a team of 6 judges, the office handles a diverse range of medical and vocational evidence. The office-wide latest approval rate is 48%, which serves as a baseline for the region. You can see the Ft Lauderdale 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 assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Ft Lauderdale bench, the 6 ALJs range from 36% to 68% in lifetime approval rates. This variance highlights why preparation remains the most critical factor in your claim. You can find more information on the Ft Lauderdale 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.