Approval rates
When reviewing the performance of an SSA ALJ, it is helpful to compare their lifetime approval rate against local and national benchmarks. Judge Nagel has maintained a 48% approval rate over 3,315 decisions. While her latest approval rate is 4 points higher than the Charlottesville office average, it remains 10 points below the national average. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting outcomes for your specific 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 Nagel'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 3 years on the bench, your judge has demonstrated a variable approval pattern. After an initial 40% approval rate in 2016, the rate rose to 55% in 2017 before adjusting to 46% in 2018. This trend reflects the complexities of managing a high volume of cases. These annual fluctuations often correlate with changes in the specific evidentiary requirements of the files assigned to your judge.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Nagel'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 Nagel? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Charlottesville hearing office
The Charlottesville Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Virginia, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 44%. When you appear here, you should be prepared for a formal administrative process that focuses heavily on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can view the Charlottesville 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 your judge is assigned randomly. Within the Charlottesville Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 39% to 82%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is the most effective way to prepare for your hearing. You can find more information on the Charlottesville 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.