Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks helps you understand the local landscape of your Social Security Disability Insurance claim. Judge Nesheiwat’s approval rate of 83% stands higher than the New York Varick office average of 71% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 1,520 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 Nesheiwat'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 2-year tenure, Judge Nesheiwat demonstrated an upward trend in approval patterns. Starting with a 73% approval rate in 2017, the data shows an increase to 84% in 2018. This shift suggests a consistent approach to evaluating evidence as the judge's docket matured. Such patterns are common as judges refine their process for handling complex medical and vocational testimony.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Nesheiwat'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 Nesheiwat? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the New York Varick hearing office
The New York Varick Hearing Office serves a large population, managing a high volume of SSDI and SSI cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 71%. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on medical documentation and vocational expert testimony. You may visit the New York Varick 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 specific judge is assigned at random. Across the New York Varick office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 43% to 83%. Because of this variance, understanding the general environment of your hearing office is useful. 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.