Approval rates
Judge Neugebauer maintains an approval rate that tracks above both the Bronx Hearing Office average of 59% and the national average of 58%. With a docket spanning 7,225 lifetime decisions, the data provides a stable look at how cases have been handled over the last four years. Comparing these figures to the state average of 65% helps contextualize the judge's position within the broader New York disability landscape.
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 Neugebauer'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 four-year tenure, your judge's approval rate has shown a steady pattern following an initial high in 2016. After reaching 78% in the first year, the rate stabilized between 63% and 67% in subsequent reporting periods. This consistency suggests a reliable approach to evaluating your evidence and testimony.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Neugebauer'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 Neugebauer? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Bronx hearing office
The Bronx Hearing Office serves a high volume of claimants across the New York region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a complex caseload that requires efficient processing of medical and vocational evidence. The office-wide latest approval rate of 59% reflects the standards applied to disability claims in this jurisdiction.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to Judge Neugebauer is essentially random. Within the Bronx Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 45% to 68%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the hearing room, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful.
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.