Approval rates
Judge Labrum maintains a lifetime approval rate of 69% across 14,130 decisions accumulated over a decade of service. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate was 64%, which is 11 percentage points higher than the national average of 58%. These figures reflect historical trends rather than 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 Labrum'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 his 10 years on the bench, Judge Labrum has demonstrated a consistent approach to evaluating disability evidence. His annual approval rates have fluctuated, but he maintains a steady volume of decisions. The latest period approval rate of 64% is slightly lower than his lifetime average, though it remains well above the current national benchmark. This pattern suggests a stable judicial philosophy that prioritizes the evidentiary requirements of your case.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Labrum'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.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Special Review Cadre employs a team of judges, and the SSA uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases randomly. Approval rates across this office vary, with lifetime rates among the 6 judges ranging from 32% to 69%. Because assignment is outside of your control, understanding the general environment of the office is more practical than focusing on any single peer. The guidance for your preparation remains consistent regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.