Approval rates
Judge Lobo has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 39% over 5,753 decisions during a four-year tenure. Compared to the latest reporting period, the judge's rate is 18 points below the Metairie office average and 19 points below the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant volume of cases, providing a look at historical trends. 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 Lobo'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
The yearly trend for Judge Lobo shows a decline in approval rates over the course of the judge's four-year tenure. Starting at 46% in 2016, the rate moved to 38% in 2017 before shifting to 9% in 2018. This pattern reflects a shift in the judge's decision-making profile during the latter half of their time on the bench. Such fluctuations often occur due to changes in case complexity or the specific medical evidence presented in your hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lobo'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 Lobo? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Metairie hearing office
The Metairie Hearing Office serves you across the Louisiana region, managing a volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 57%, which is consistent with the national average. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on the review of your medical records and testimony. You can visit the Metairie 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 Metairie office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 39% to 62%. While these differences exist, the core requirements for proving your disability remain consistent regardless of which judge presides over your hearing. You can find more information on the Metairie 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.