Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Long maintains a lifetime approval rate of 50%, while the latest reporting period shows his rate trailing the office average by 8 percentage points and the national average by 8 points. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 11,172 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of his historical approach. 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 Long'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 his 5 years on the bench, Judge Long has navigated a varied caseload, with his annual approval rates fluctuating between 46% and 57%. Following a peak in 2017, the data shows a period of adjustment before stabilizing around the 50% mark in 2020. The most recent reporting period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern. These trends suggest a judge who maintains a consistent evidentiary standard, regardless of shifts in the broader case mix.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Long'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 Long? A free benefit check tells you if you qualify.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Valparaiso IN hearing office
The Valparaiso IN Hearing Office serves you across the region, managing a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an overall approval rate of 58%, reflecting the local standards for disability adjudication. You can expect a formal environment where the quality of your medical evidence is the primary driver of the outcome. You can see the Valparaiso IN Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you draw is essentially random. Within the Valparaiso IN Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates across the bench range from 41% to 65%. While your specific judge is determined by this administrative process, the fundamental requirements for proving your disability remain consistent. 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.