Approval rates
Judge Lynch maintains a lifetime approval rate of 58%, a figure derived from a docket of 17,612 decisions over his 6-year tenure. When compared to the Portland OR Hearing Office latest average of 68%, his recent decisions show a variance of -10 percentage points. These figures provide a baseline for understanding the judicial environment in Portland. 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 Lynch'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 6 years on the bench, your judge has seen approval rates fluctuate, starting at 54% in 2016 and reaching a high of 63% in 2017. Following a dip to 52% in 2019, the data shows a stabilization in the most recent periods, with rates of 58% and 59% respectively. This trend suggests a consistent approach to case evaluation in recent years. The current pattern reflects a steady cadence in how evidence is weighed across the docket.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lynch'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 Lynch? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Portland OR hearing office
The Portland OR Hearing Office serves the state of Oregon, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 68%, which is higher than the national average of 58%. You can expect a professional environment focused on the rigorous evaluation of your medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Portland OR 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 Lynch is essentially random. Across the Portland OR Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 49% to 76%. This variance highlights why the specific judge assigned to your case is a meaningful variable in the hearing process. You can review the full office roster on the Portland OR 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.