Approval rates
Judge Lewin maintains a lifetime approval rate of 52%, which compares to the latest office-wide approval rate of 56% and a national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 19,506 lifetime decisions, providing a stable view of historical trends. While these numbers offer context, they are not a guarantee of how your specific hearing will conclude. 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 Lewin'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's yearly approval rates have fluctuated, peaking at 59% in 2016 before trending toward a lower range in the early 2020s. Recent data shows a stabilization, with the 2024 and 2025 periods reflecting an approval rate near the lifetime average. This pattern suggests a consistent approach to case evaluation that has remained steady over time. The recent data indicates a continuation of this long-term trend.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lewin'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 Lewin? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Evanston hearing office
The Evanston Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across the Illinois region, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 56% in the latest reporting period. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical records and vocational history. You can see the Evanston 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. Across the 6 judges at the Evanston Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates range from 46% to 76%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is important to focus on the strength of your medical evidence. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.