Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Lawritson's lifetime approval rate of 59% is measured against the Denver Hearing Office's latest rate of 62% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from 5,950 lifetime decisions, offering a stable look at historical patterns. 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 Lawritson'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 a 3-year tenure, Judge Lawritson has presided over 5,950 lifetime decisions. Your yearly trend shows a period of stability in 2016 and 2017 with a 62% approval rate, followed by a 52% approval rate in 2018. This variation may reflect changes in the types of cases assigned or the specific medical evidence presented. These patterns illustrate how the judge has approached evidentiary requirements throughout their time on the bench.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lawritson'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 Lawritson? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Denver hearing office
The Denver Hearing Office serves you and other applicants across Colorado and the surrounding region. This office manages a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 62%, the facility is a critical hub for disability adjudication in the area. You can visit the Denver 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 judge is selected randomly. Within the Denver Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 45% to 62%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is essential regardless of who is assigned to your case. The guidance for your preparation remains consistent 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.