Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both lifetime averages and recent trends. While the Chicago Hearing Office maintains a recent approval rate of 56%, your judge's latest reporting period shows an approval rate of 46%. With 19,986 lifetime decisions, the data provides a statistically significant look at his history on the bench. These figures reflect historical trends rather than a fixed outcome for your 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 Mellman'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 his 10-year tenure, your judge has seen his approval rates fluctuate. After starting at 31% in 2016, the rate climbed to a peak of 51% in 2024 before settling at 46% in the most recent period. This trend indicates a shift in his decision-making approach over time, moving away from the lower approval rates observed during his first few years. The recent data suggests a more moderate pattern compared to his early career.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Mellman'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 Mellman? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Chicago hearing office
The Chicago (Illinois) Hearing Office serves a large population across the region, managing a high volume of disability claims. With 6 judges currently on the bench, the office maintains a recent approval rate of 56%. You can expect a rigorous review of your medical evidence and vocational history during your hearing. You can see the Chicago (Illinois) 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Chicago Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 41% to 69%. Because of this variance, the specific judge assigned to your case can influence the process. You can view the full roster of judges at the Chicago (Illinois) 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.