Approval rates
Judge Lassy's approval rate is measured against the broader context of the Paducah Hearing Office and national standards. During the latest reporting period, her approval rate outperformed the office average by 7 percentage points and the national average by 5 percentage points. These statistics are derived from a substantial docket of 2,290 lifetime decisions. 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 Lassy'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 1 year on the bench, Judge Lassy has maintained a steady approval pattern. Her lifetime rate of 63% reflects a consistent approach to evaluating your disability claim. The data indicates that her recent decisions remain aligned with this established trend, showing stability in how evidence is weighed. This pattern suggests a predictable environment for you when presenting well-documented medical records.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lassy'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 Lassy? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Paducah hearing office
The Paducah Hearing Office serves a wide region in Kentucky, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 56%. When you appear here, expect a formal process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Paducah 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. Within the Paducah Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 46% to 65%. While these variations exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent across all courtrooms. You can find more information on the Paducah 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.