Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at data from the same timeframe to ensure accuracy. While your judge's overall approval rate since 2016 is 45%, his latest-period approval rate is 56%, which sits 5 percentage points above the Cleveland office's latest-period rate of 51%. These figures are derived from a docket of 4,100 decisions on record. 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 Leland'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
Since 2016, the approval trend for William Leland has fluctuated, starting at 32% and reaching 56% in the most recent fiscal year-to-date period. The latest-period approval rate of 56% indicates that recent outcomes are higher than the long-term average of 45%. This shift may reflect changes in case mix or evidence quality.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Leland'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.
About the Cleveland hearing office
William Leland's most recent office on record is the Cleveland hearing office, with the last recorded decision there in July 2026. This office serves you and other claimants across the region and maintains a bench of 22 judges. The office-wide latest-period approval rate is 51%, providing a benchmark for the local hearing environment.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Cleveland
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 22 judges whose most recent office on record is the Cleveland hearing office, with 11 of them deciding cases in the latest file. Approval rates among this bench vary widely, ranging from 17% to 70% on their since-2016 records.
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
William Leland's latest-period approval rate of 56% is 5 percentage points higher than the Cleveland office's latest-period average of 51%. Because cases are assigned randomly, an attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this judge's bench.
Yes, the approval rate has fluctuated over time, beginning at 32% in 2016 and reaching 56% in the most recent fiscal year-to-date period. An attorney can help you understand how these trends might relate to the evidence in your case.
No, the Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, and you cannot choose your judge. An attorney can help you prepare your case regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing.
A hearing typically involves testimony from you and potentially a vocational or medical expert, overseen by the ALJ. An attorney can help you prepare your testimony and organize your medical records for the hearing.
The 45% approval rate on record since 2016 is a statistical observation of past performance, not a prediction of your outcome. An attorney can help you build a strong case based on your specific medical evidence.
