Approval rates
The approval rate for Judge Lyons stands at 70% over 10,476 lifetime decisions. In the latest reporting period, his approval rate outperformed the Philadelphia office average by 15 percentage points and the national average by 12 percentage points. These metrics are derived from a substantial docket, offering a look at his historical decision-making. 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 Lyons'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, Judge Lyons has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. His yearly trend shows a stable approval rate, beginning at 69% in 2016 and reaching 73% in 2021. The data indicates that his recent decisions remain well-aligned with his long-term career average, reflecting a predictable approach to the evidence you present in court.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lyons'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 Lyons? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Philadelphia hearing office
The Philadelphia Hearing Office serves a large population across Pennsylvania, managing a high volume of SSDI claims. The office currently reports an approval rate of 55%. You can expect a formal process focused on your medical documentation and vocational evidence. You can see the Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 41% to 70%. Because this variance exists, understanding the broader office environment is as important as reviewing an individual judge's history. You can find more information on the Philadelphia 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.