Approval rates
Judge Lischak maintains an approval rate higher than broader benchmarks. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate was 30 percentage points higher than the Syracuse Hearing Office average and 28 points higher than the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 10,202 lifetime decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting the outcome of your specific 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 Lischak'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 5-year tenure on the bench, Judge Lischak has maintained a consistent approval pattern. His yearly trend shows approval rates remaining steady, fluctuating between 84% and 88% annually. This stability suggests a predictable approach to evaluating your disability claim, which remains well above the 65% state average for the region.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lischak'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 Lischak? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Syracuse hearing office
The Syracuse Hearing Office serves a large population across New York, managing a volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 ALJs. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 56%. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Syracuse Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Syracuse Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 43% to 86%. Because of this variance, the judge you draw can influence the context of your hearing. You can find more information on the Syracuse 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.