Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Lardaro’s latest approval rate of 60% stands 2 percentage points above the national average, though it remains 10 points below the current South Jersey office average. With 13,450 lifetime decisions, the data offers a stable look at her history. 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 Lardaro'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 her 9 years on the bench, Judge Lardaro has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. Her approval rates have fluctuated within a stable range, showing a slight upward trend in recent years compared to her 2019 and 2020 activity. The latest reporting period shows a 60% approval rate, which aligns closely with her long-term career average. This consistency suggests a predictable approach to evaluating medical evidence and vocational testimony.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lardaro'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 Lardaro? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the South Jersey hearing office
The South Jersey Hearing Office serves a significant population of claimants across the region, managing a high volume of cases with a team of 6 ALJs. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 70%, reflecting the local standards for evidence and testimony. You can expect a professional environment focused on the thorough review of medical records. You can see the South Jersey Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. The South Jersey Hearing Office features a bench with lifetime approval rates ranging from 49% to 76%. While your specific judge matters, the core requirements for proving your disability remain the same. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.