Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history against broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Lupisella's 55% lifetime approval rate is derived from a docket of 20,585 lifetime decisions over a decade on the bench. While the latest reporting period shows a 69% approval rate, it is important to view this against the 66% office average and the 58% national average. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Lupisella'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 10-year tenure, Judge Lupisella has navigated a varied caseload across three different hearing offices. The yearly trend shows fluctuations, with approval rates dipping to 40% in 2021 before seeing a recent recovery to 66% in 2025. These shifts often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the specific medical evidence presented during those periods. The latest data suggests a return to higher approval levels, marking a departure from the mid-tenure dip.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lupisella'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 Lupisella? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Mt Pleasant MI hearing office
The MT Pleasant MI Hearing Office serves a significant population across Michigan, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where case processing is standardized to meet federal guidelines. You can expect a professional hearing process focused on the specific medical and vocational evidence of your claim. You can see the MT Pleasant MI 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 a specific judge is essentially random. At the MT Pleasant MI Hearing Office, the bench consists of 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 55% to 63%. Because the judge you draw is outside of your control, the most effective strategy is to focus on the strength of your medical documentation.
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.