Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks helps you understand the environment of your upcoming hearing. Judge Marzan currently holds a 68% approval rate in the latest reporting period, which is 5 percentage points higher than both the Tampa Hearing Office and the national average of 58%. With a decade of experience and 17,899 decisions, the data provides a stable look at past outcomes. 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 Marzan'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 Marzan has shown a dynamic trend in her approval patterns. After an initial period of fluctuation, the data shows a notable upward trajectory in recent years, with approval rates reaching 73% in 2025. This recent performance indicates a shift from her earlier career averages. These trends often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented, and the latest period reflects a continuation of this steady, higher-approval pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Marzan'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 Marzan? A free benefit check tells you if you qualify.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Tampa hearing office
The Tampa Hearing Office serves a large population across Florida, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a diverse bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where evidence-based advocacy is essential for a successful outcome. You can expect a professional, fast-paced hearing process designed to evaluate complex medical and vocational data. You can visit the Tampa 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. At the Tampa Hearing Office, the bench consists of 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 48% to 70%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the courtroom, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent regardless of which judge you are 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.