Approval rates
Evaluating your chances requires looking at how a judge's history compares to broader benchmarks. Judge McCormack maintains a lifetime approval rate of 50%, which currently trails the White Plains Hearing Office average of 67% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from 18,321 lifetime decisions, providing a significant sample size for analysis. 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 McCormack'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 decade on the bench, Judge McCormack has seen approval rates fluctuate within a stable range. Starting at 46% in 2016, the rate reached a peak of 58% in 2024 before settling at 51% in the most recent reporting period. This trajectory shows a judge who consistently processes a high volume of cases, with the latest period reflecting a continuation of this long-term pattern. These trends provide insight into how your evidence is evaluated over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge McCormack'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.
About the New York hearing office
The White Plains Hearing Office serves a diverse population across the region, managing a high volume of SSDI claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an active docket that requires efficient case management. You can expect a formal process focused on the medical and vocational evidence presented in your file. You can see the White Plains 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. Within the White Plains Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 50% to 74%. While these variations exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent across all courtrooms. You can find more information on the office's general operations on the White Plains Hearing Office page.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.