Approval rates
When evaluating your claim, it is helpful to look at how your judge's approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. Her lifetime rate of 69% is 11 percentage points higher than the national average and 10 percentage points above the state average. These figures are derived from a docket of 1,144 lifetime decisions. 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 Mittleman'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 her 1 year on the bench, your judge has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. Her approval rate of 69% reflects a steady pattern of adjudication. While recent data shows her performing slightly above the local office average, this trend suggests consistency in how she evaluates evidence. This pattern indicates that your judge's approach to case requirements remains predictable.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Mittleman'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 Mittleman? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Baltimore hearing office
The Baltimore Hearing Office serves a large population across Maryland, managing a high volume of SSDI claims with a team of 6 administrative law judges. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 66%. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical records and vocational history. You can see the Baltimore 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 Baltimore Hearing Office, the bench features a range of approval rates, spanning from 46% to 81% across the 6 judges. Because your assignment is outside of your control, focusing on the quality of your medical evidence is the most effective way to prepare.
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.