Approval rates
When evaluating your potential outcome, it is helpful to look at how your judge's approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. In the most recent reporting period, your judge approved 75% of cases, compared to the White Plains office average of 67% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 20,620 lifetime decisions, providing a stable view of past judicial patterns. 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 Lemoine'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 a 10-year tenure, your judge has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. After some fluctuation in the earlier years of his career, the approval rate has remained steady, with recent performance showing a strong alignment with his long-term average. The latest period reflects a continuation of this stable pattern, suggesting that the decision-making process is well-established. This consistency allows for a clearer understanding of the evidentiary expectations at your hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lemoine'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 Lemoine? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the White Plains hearing office
The White Plains Hearing Office serves a significant population in the region, managing a high volume of SSDI claims with a dedicated team of ALJs. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 67%, reflecting the complex nature of the cases heard in this jurisdiction. You can expect a professional environment focused on the thorough review of medical and vocational evidence. You can see the White Plains Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
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 White Plains office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 50% to 74%. Because of this variance, it is important to focus on the strength of your medical evidence rather than the specific judge assigned. You can find more information on the White Plains 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.