Approval rates
Judge Minter maintains a lifetime approval rate of 78% based on 11,898 decisions, providing a significant sample size for understanding historical decision-making. In the most recent reporting period, your approval rate reached 50%, which compares to an office average of 66% and a national average of 58%. These figures highlight how individual judge performance varies relative to broader regional and national benchmarks.
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 Minter'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 Minter has presided over 11,898 decisions, showing a generally steady approval trend throughout your career. While your approval rate remained consistently high between 2016 and 2020, recent years have seen more variability, including a notable 84% approval rate in 2022 followed by a shift in the most recent reporting period. This pattern suggests that while your long-term approach is established, recent case outcomes have been more sensitive to specific evidentiary factors.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Minter'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 Minter? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Norwalk hearing office
The Norwalk Hearing Office serves you throughout Connecticut and the surrounding region, managing a high volume of disability cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 66%, reflecting the complex nature of the claims processed in this jurisdiction. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical records and vocational history when appearing at this office.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the assignment is essentially random and outside of your control. Across the Norwalk Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates for the bench range from 50% to 78%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is important to focus on the strength of your medical evidence and the completeness of your file.
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.