Approval rates
Judge Mande has issued 10,455 lifetime decisions during her 4 years on the bench. Her 57% approval rate compares to the Elkins Park office average of 60% and the national average of 58%. These figures provide a baseline for understanding the judicial environment at this location. 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 Mande'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 4-year tenure, Judge Mande's approval rate has shown fluctuation, moving from 58% in 2016 to 60% in 2017, followed by 53% in 2018 and 58% in 2019. This trend shows a return to her historical average after a period of variance. These shifts are common in Social Security disability hearings and often reflect changes in the complexity of cases assigned to the bench.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Mande'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 Mande? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Elkins Park hearing office
The Elkins Park hearing office serves you throughout the Pennsylvania region, managing a volume of SSDI and SSI cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an overall approval rate that reflects the local economic and medical landscape. You can expect a professional environment focused on the requirements of 20 CFR Part 404. You can see the Elkins Park Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Elkins Park hearing office utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning you cannot choose your judge. The bench here features a wide range of outcomes, with lifetime approval rates for individual judges spanning from 50% to 71%. This variance highlights the importance of presenting a strong, evidence-based case regardless of who presides. You can find more information on the office's general operations on the Elkins Park 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.