Approval rates
Judge Martinez maintains a lifetime approval rate of 43%, measured against the Salt Lake City Hearing Office latest average of 54%. This comparison provides a window into how the judge's historical decision-making aligns with broader regional and national trends. With 8,283 decisions on record, the data offers a stable view of the judge's tenure. 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 Martinez'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 4-year tenure, your judge's approval rate has shown notable fluctuations. Starting at 43% in 2016, the rate reached 50% in 2017 before trending to 40% in 2018 and 34% in 2019. These shifts often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented during hearings.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Martinez'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 Martinez? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Salt Lake City hearing office
The Salt Lake City Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Utah, managing a high volume of disability cases. The office maintains a latest approval rate of 54%, reflecting the regional approach to SSDI claims. You can expect a rigorous review process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can see the Salt Lake City Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning you cannot choose your judge. Within the Salt Lake City Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 28% to 72%. This variance highlights why it is essential to focus on the strength of your medical evidence regardless of your specific assignment. You can view the full roster of judges at the Salt Lake City 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.