Approval rates
Judge Neal has issued 1,719 lifetime decisions, providing a data set to evaluate approval patterns. In the most recent reporting period, the 34% approval rate stands 20 percentage points below the Kansas City office average of 54%. Comparing these figures to the national average of 58% helps you understand the local landscape of your claim. 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 Neal'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 a 3-year tenure, the approval rate has shown a trend, moving from 40% in 2023 to 27% in 2025. This pattern suggests a shift in the types of cases or evidence quality presented during recent hearings. While the latest period approval rate of 34% aligns with the lifetime average, the year-over-year data indicates a tightening of favorable outcomes. This trend reflects a continuation of a more rigorous evidentiary standard in recent proceedings.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Neal'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 Neal? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Kansas City hearing office
The Kansas City (Missouri) Hearing Office serves a broad population across the region, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a latest-period approval rate of 54%. You can expect a structured environment where medical documentation and vocational evidence are central to the hearing process. You can visit the Kansas City 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 your assignment to Judge Neal is essentially random. Across the Kansas City office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 28% to 61%. This variance highlights that the specific judge assigned to your hearing can influence the outcome of your claim. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.