Approval rates
When evaluating your hearing prospects, it is helpful to look at how a judge's approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. Judge Martinez has maintained a 36% lifetime approval rate across 874 decisions. This figure sits below the Pasadena Hearing Office latest average of 66% and the national average of 58%. These comparisons provide a statistical baseline for understanding the environment of your upcoming 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 1-year tenure on the bench, Judge Martinez has established a consistent decision-making record. With 874 lifetime decisions, the data reflects a stable pattern of adjudication. The latest reporting period shows a 36% approval rate, which remains consistent with the judge's overall career trend. This stability suggests that the judge applies a uniform approach to the evidence presented in your disability claim.
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 Pasadena hearing office
The Pasadena Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants throughout the region, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 66%. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on the medical and vocational evidence supporting your claim. You can visit the Pasadena Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Pasadena Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges vary significantly, ranging from 36% to 72%. This variance highlights why it is important to focus on the strength of your own medical evidence rather than the specific judge assigned.
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.