Approval rates
Judge McGuan has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 56% over 10,221 decisions. Compared to the most recent reporting period, his approval rate sits 3 points above the Buffalo Hearing Office average and 2 points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for his tenure, though they do not predict the outcome of your specific case.
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 McGuan'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 6 years on the bench, Judge McGuan has shown a varied approval trend. After reaching a peak of 64% in 2017, the rate shifted to 47% in 2020 before moving to 53% in 2021. These fluctuations often reflect changes in the types of cases assigned to the bench rather than a change in judicial philosophy.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge McGuan'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 McGuan? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Buffalo hearing office
The Buffalo Hearing Office serves a broad population across New York, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where case complexity often dictates the timeline of a hearing. You can expect a professional, evidence-focused process designed to evaluate your medical and vocational records thoroughly. You can visit the Buffalo 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Buffalo Hearing Office, the 6 ALJs range from 46% to 56% in their lifetime approval rates. Understanding the office-wide environment is helpful, but your preparation remains focused on your own medical evidence.
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.