Approval rates
When evaluating your claim, it is helpful to look at how a judge's historical approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. Judge MA currently maintains a 19% lifetime approval rate, which stands in contrast to the latest national average of 58% and the Cleveland office average of 53%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 16,265 lifetime decisions. 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 Ma'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, Judge MA has maintained a consistent decision-making pattern. While yearly approval rates have fluctuated between 12% and 27% during her tenure, the recent data shows a rate of 19% in 2025. This indicates that the judge's approach has remained steady over the last decade. The latest reporting period reflects a continuation of this long-term trend, suggesting that the evidentiary standards applied in her courtroom remain stable.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Ma'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 MA? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Cleveland hearing office
The Cleveland Hearing Office serves a large population across Ohio, managing a high volume of SSDI claims with a team of 6 administrative law judges. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 53%, reflecting the complex nature of the cases heard in this region. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can see the Cleveland 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Cleveland Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary widely, ranging from 19% to 65%. This variance highlights why the specific judge assigned to your case is only one of many factors in the outcome. You can find more information on the Cleveland 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.