Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at consistent timeframes to ensure accuracy. David Lacy's 54% approval rate since 2022 provides a baseline, while his latest-period rate of 55% allows for a direct comparison against the Pasadena office's latest-period rate of 67%. With 1,451 decisions on record, the data offers a clear view of past activity. These figures reflect historical trends rather than specific outcomes for your case.
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 Lacy'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
Since December 2022, David Lacy has issued 1,451 decisions. The yearly trend shows a consistent pattern, with approval rates moving from 54% in 2023 to 56% in 2024, followed by 52% in 2025 and 55% during the partial 2026 fiscal year. This stability suggests that the approach to evaluating evidence has remained steady over the recorded period. The latest-period performance aligns closely with the long-term average, indicating a continuation of this established pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lacy'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.
About the Pasadena hearing office
The Pasadena hearing office serves you if you are in California and is part of a broader regional network. There are 11 judges whose most recent office on record is this location, which recorded its last decision in July 2026. You can expect a formal hearing process where evidence quality is the primary factor in the outcome. You can see the Pasadena Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Pasadena
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 11 judges whose most recent office on record is the Pasadena office, with 5 of them deciding cases in the latest SSA file. Approval rates across this bench range from 35% to 70% on their records. You can find more information on the Pasadena hearing office page.
Approval rates change 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.
Frequently asked questions
David Lacy's latest-period approval rate of 55% is 12 percentage points lower than the Pasadena office's latest-period average of 67%. Because case assignment is random, an attorney can help you prepare your case to meet the specific evidentiary standards of this bench.
The approval rate has remained steady, fluctuating between 52% and 56% annually since 2022. This consistency suggests a stable decision-making pattern over the last few years. An attorney can help you understand how this pattern might apply to your specific medical evidence.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency. An attorney can help you prepare for a hearing regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
An approval rate is a probability cloud based on past decisions, not a prediction for your specific hearing. While David Lacy has a 54% approval rate since 2022, your outcome depends primarily on the medical evidence you provide. An attorney can help you organize that evidence to give your case the best chance of success.
