Approval rates
Addison C. Masengill has presided over 24,196 lifetime decisions during a 10-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, you would find a 55% approval rate, which is 4 percentage points lower than the Springfield MA office average and 3 points below the national average. These figures provide a statistical snapshot of the judge's history rather than a guarantee of your future outcome.
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 Masengill'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 the past decade, the approval rate has moved through various cycles. After a period of relative stability, the judge saw an increase in 2024 before returning to a 55% rate in 2025. This trajectory reflects the judge's long-term experience managing a high volume of cases. The recent data indicates that the judge's decision-making process remains aligned with established historical norms.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Masengill'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 Masengill? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Springfield MA hearing office
The Springfield MA Hearing Office serves a broad population across Massachusetts, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 59%. You can expect a formal process focused on the medical and vocational evidence presented in your file. You can visit the Springfield MA Hearing Office page for more information on the local roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Springfield MA office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 42% to 65%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the evidence, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful for your preparation.
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.