Approval rates
Judge Loesel maintains a lifetime approval rate of 49%, a figure derived from 14,604 total decisions during your 8-year tenure. When compared to the latest reporting period, your approval rate trails the Cleveland Hearing Office average of 53% and the national average of 58%. These metrics provide a high-level view of historical trends within your courtroom.
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 Loesel'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 your 8 years on the bench, you have demonstrated a varied approval pattern that peaked in 2020 at 53% before shifting in recent years. Your decision-making history shows a career-long commitment to Social Security Administration guidelines, with annual approval rates fluctuating between 43% and 56%. The most recent data from 2023 indicates an approval rate of 56%, suggesting a potential shift in case mix or evidence presentation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Loesel'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 Loesel? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Cleveland hearing office
The Cleveland (Ohio) Hearing Office serves a broad population across Northern Ohio, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide approval rate that reflects the regional economic and health landscape. You can visit the Cleveland 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 your assignment to Judge Loesel is essentially random. Within the Cleveland office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 44% to 65%, highlighting the diversity of judicial perspectives. Regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent.
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.