Approval rates
Judge Lazzaro maintains a 56% lifetime approval rate across 3,962 total decisions. In the most recent reporting period, the approval rate was 53%, which sits 2 percentage points below the national average of 58% and 1 point below the Philadelphia East office average. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding the judge's 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 Lazzaro'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 3 years on the bench, Judge Lazzaro has presided over 3,962 decisions. The data shows a trend that began with a 73% approval rate in 2023, followed by 57% in 2024 and 56% in 2025. This pattern suggests a consistent approach to case evaluation as the judge's docket has matured. The recent period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, indicating that the judge's decision-making process has reached a predictable rhythm.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lazzaro'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 Lazzaro? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Philadelphia East hearing office
The Philadelphia East Hearing Office serves you throughout the Pennsylvania region. This office manages a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges, maintaining an office-wide latest approval rate of 57%. You can expect a standard hearing process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. For more information on the local bench, see the Philadelphia East 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Philadelphia East bench, the 6 ALJs range from 40% to 71% in their lifetime approval rates. While your specific judge may have a unique history, the evidentiary requirements for proving your disability remain constant. You can find more information on the local bench by visiting the Philadelphia East 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.