Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for what to expect during your hearing. While the national average approval rate sits at 58%, Judge Mulvey has maintained a 49% lifetime approval rate across 7,797 decisions. This data reflects a significant volume of cases, offering a stable look at historical trends. 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 Mulvey'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 9 years on the bench, Judge Mulvey has seen approval rates fluctuate, moving from a high of 64% in 2018 to a low of 35% in 2021. Recent data indicates a steady upward trend, with the latest reporting period showing an approval rate of 59%. This recent uptick suggests a shift in the judge's decision-making pattern compared to the lifetime average. These variations often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented in recent years.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Mulvey'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 Mulvey? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Albany hearing office
The Albany Hearing Office serves you across New York, managing a high volume of disability appeals with a team of 6 ALJs. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 67%, which is higher than the national average. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can see the Albany 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Albany Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 49% to 81%. Because you cannot choose your judge, focusing on the strength of your medical evidence remains the most effective way to prepare. You can find more information on the Albany 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.