Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Mary J. Leary maintains a lifetime approval rate of 37% based on 19,160 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, her approval rate was 45%, which is 4 percentage points below the Springfield MO office average of 41% and 21 points below the national average of 58%. These figures reflect historical trends rather than individual hearing outcomes.
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 Leary'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 10 years on the bench, Mary J. Leary has presided over a significant volume of cases with varying yearly trends. While her approval rate was 28% in 2020, recent years have seen a return to higher approval levels, with 44% in 2023 and 39% in 2025. These fluctuations are common as judges adapt to evolving SSA guidelines and changes in the types of cases presented.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Leary'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 Leary? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Springfield MO hearing office
The Springfield MO Hearing Office serves a wide population across Missouri, managing a high volume of disability claims. With 6 judges on the bench, the office maintains a focus on processing complex medical evidence. The office-wide latest approval rate is 41%, reflecting regional trends in benefit adjudication.
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. Within the Springfield MO office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 27% to 48%. This variance highlights the importance of focusing on your own medical documentation regardless of who presides over your hearing.
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.