Approval rates
When evaluating your claim, it is helpful to look at how David G. Marcus compares to broader benchmarks. While the national average approval rate sits at 58% and the Los Angeles Downtown office average is 62%, David G. Marcus has maintained a 56% lifetime approval rate. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 14,987 lifetime decisions, providing a stable look at historical trends. 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 Marcus'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 9-year tenure, the approval rate for David G. Marcus has shown periods of fluctuation. After starting with a 61% approval rate in 2016, the data indicates a shift in subsequent years, including a period in 2019 where the rate reached 48%. Recent data suggests the rate has held steady following these shifts. This pattern reflects the evolving nature of case evidence and the specific requirements of the cases heard during those periods.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Marcus'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 Marcus? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Los Angeles Downtown hearing office
The Los Angeles Downtown Hearing Office serves a large population in California, managing a high volume of SSDI claims. With a diverse bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 62% in the latest reporting period. You can expect a formal hearing process focused on medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Los Angeles Downtown 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. At the Los Angeles Downtown Hearing Office, the bench consists of 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 36% to 76%. Because of this variance, the specific judge assigned to your hearing can be a factor in your case trajectory. You can find more information on the Los Angeles Downtown 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.