Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. While the national average approval rate is 58%, Judge Matula's latest reporting period shows an approval rate of 51%. This data is drawn from a docket of 20,042 lifetime decisions, offering a look at her history. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than 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 Matula'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 9-year tenure, Judge Matula has presided over 20,042 lifetime decisions. Her approval rate shifted after 2017, moving from 58% to a more moderate range where it has largely remained. Recent data shows a latest-period approval rate of 51%, which aligns closely with the Norfolk Hearing Office average. This trend suggests a stable approach to case evaluation that has persisted throughout her time on the bench.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Matula'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 Matula? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Norfolk hearing office
The Norfolk Hearing Office serves a broad population across Virginia, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where case outcomes are influenced by the evidence presented in your file. The office's latest approval rate of 51% reflects the regional complexity of claims processed in this area. You can view the Norfolk Hearing Office page for the full ALJ 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 Norfolk Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 49% to 55%. Because each judge operates with their own judicial style, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful. You can find more information on the Norfolk 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.