Approval rates
Judge LaCara has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 27% over 16,202 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, the approval rate was 28%, compared to an office-wide approval rate of 58% and a national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical look at how cases have been decided in this courtroom over the last decade.
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 LaCara'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 10 years on the bench, your judge's yearly approval rates have fluctuated between a high of 34% in 2016 and a low of 21% in 2023. The most recent 2025 data point shows a 29% approval rate. This pattern reflects a consistent approach to evaluating evidence and medical documentation over the long term.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge LaCara'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 LaCara? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Seattle hearing office
The Seattle Hearing Office serves you across Washington and the surrounding region. It is staffed by 6 administrative law judges who manage a high volume of disability claims. The office-wide latest approval rate is 58%. You can expect a formal process focused on the specific medical evidence presented in your file.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA assigns cases to you using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Seattle Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 27% to 66%. This variance highlights why it is important to focus on the strength of your own 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.