Approval rates
When evaluating your chances at a hearing, it is helpful to look at how a judge's historical approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. MaryAnn Lunderman has maintained a 32% lifetime approval rate over 18,913 decisions. This is compared against the latest office-wide approval rate of 66% and the national average of 58%. 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 Lunderman'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 her 10 years on the bench, MaryAnn Lunderman has demonstrated a shifting pattern in her decision-making. After a period of lower approval rates between 2017 and 2020, your data shows a notable upward trend, reaching 49% in the latest reporting period. This movement suggests that the judge's approach to evidence and case requirements has evolved over time. Understanding this trajectory can be useful when you organize your medical records and testimony to meet the current standards of her courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lunderman'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 Lunderman? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Oakland hearing office
The Special Review Cadre serves a unique function within the SSA, handling cases that require specialized attention across various regions. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a high volume of hearings to manage its caseload. You should expect a rigorous review of your documentation and vocational history. You can see the Special Review Cadre Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Special Review Cadre, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 32% to 63%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is important to focus on the strength of your own medical evidence.
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.