Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader trends provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Mein has maintained a 34% lifetime approval rate across a decade of service, while the Kansas City (Missouri) office currently reports an approval rate of 54%. These figures reflect a significant volume of cases, offering a stable look at historical patterns. 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 Mein'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Mein has presided over 22,107 decisions. The yearly trend shows a relatively steady pattern, with approval rates fluctuating between 28% and 39% throughout their tenure. While the most recent reporting period shows an approval rate of 38%, this remains consistent with the judge's long-term historical average. This stability suggests a predictable approach to case evaluation over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Mein'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.
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Check My BenefitsAbout the Kansas City hearing office
The Kansas City (Missouri) hearing office serves a diverse population across the region, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an overall approval rate of 54%. You can expect a professional environment focused on the thorough review of your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Kansas City (Missouri) Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your specific judge is determined by a random process. Across the Kansas City (Missouri) office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 28% to 61%. Because of this variance, it is helpful to understand the general environment of your assigned office. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same 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.