Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime performance against current office and national benchmarks provides a clearer picture of their decision-making history. While the Tacoma Hearing Office maintains a recent approval rate of 58%, Judge Lee's historical data reflects a different trajectory over his 10,712 lifetime decisions. These figures are derived from official Social Security Administration data to ensure transparency. 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 Lee'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 8 years on the bench, Judge Lee has maintained a relatively steady approval pattern. After an initial 51% approval rate in 2018, his yearly figures fluctuated between 40% and 48% before the most recent reporting period. This consistency suggests a stable approach to evaluating medical evidence and vocational testimony. The recent 100% approval rate in 2025 is based on a very small sample of 8 decisions and should be viewed as an outlier rather than a shift in his long-term judicial philosophy.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lee'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 Lee? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Tacoma hearing office
The Tacoma Hearing Office serves a large population across Washington, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office currently reports an approval rate of 58%. You can expect a rigorous review of your medical records and work history in accordance with 20 CFR Part 404. You can view the full ALJ roster on the Tacoma Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Tacoma Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges vary significantly, ranging from 31% to 72%. This variance highlights why understanding the specific bench is a vital part of your preparation. You can find more information on the office's general operations on the Tacoma 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.