Approval rates
The approval rate for Judge Laverdure is 56% across 5,428 lifetime decisions. When compared to the latest reporting period, his rate is 9 percentage points below the Oakland office average of 65% and 2 percentage points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical snapshot of his tenure. 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 Laverdure'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 3 years on the bench, Judge Laverdure has maintained a consistent decision-making pattern. His approval rate saw a peak in 2017 at 63% before returning to 53% in 2018, mirroring his 2016 performance. This fluctuation is common and often relates to the specific mix of medical evidence presented in a given year. The data indicates a stable approach to evaluating your disability claim.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Laverdure'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 Laverdure? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Oakland hearing office
The Oakland Hearing Office serves a large population across Northern California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 65%. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical documentation and work history. You can see the Oakland Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning you cannot choose your judge. Within the Oakland Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 47% to 72%. This variance highlights why every case requires a unique strategy regardless of the judge assigned. You can review the full office roster on the Oakland 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.