Approval rates
Judge LeCours has issued 25,883 lifetime decisions over his 10-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate reached 52%, which compares to an office average of 67% and a national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical look at past outcomes, but aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than 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 LeCours'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 10 years on the bench, Judge LeCours has maintained a steady decision pattern. While approval rates fluctuated between 45% and 53% during the middle of his tenure, the most recent data shows a return to a 52% approval rate. This trend suggests a consistent approach to evaluating your disability claim, grounded in his extensive experience with 25,883 lifetime decisions.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge LeCours'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 LeCours? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Albany hearing office
The Albany Hearing Office serves you and other claimants throughout New York and the surrounding region. It is staffed by 6 administrative law judges who manage a high volume of disability appeals. The office currently maintains an office-wide approval rate of 67%. You can expect a professional environment where medical documentation is the primary factor in your hearing process. You can see the Albany Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you draw is essentially random. Across the Albany Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 49% to 81%. Because case assignment is outside of your control, the most effective strategy is to focus on the strength of your medical evidence.
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.