Approval rates
Comparing a judge's historical approval rate to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. While the national latest approval rate stands at 58%, Judge Nguyen's recent performance shows a 43% approval rate. This data is derived from 19,234 lifetime decisions, offering a look at past 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 Nguyen'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 decade on the bench, Judge Nguyen's approval patterns have shown fluctuations. After a period of lower approval rates between 2019 and 2023, the data indicates a recent upward shift, with the 2025 period reaching 47%. This trend suggests that recent decision-making is evolving compared to the long-term average. These shifts often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented in the courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Nguyen'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 Nguyen? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Cincinnati hearing office
The Cincinnati Hearing Office serves a significant population across Ohio, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an active docket and handles cases with varying degrees of medical complexity. You can expect a formal proceeding where the focus remains on objective evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Cincinnati 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 a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Cincinnati Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 37% to 73%. Because the judge you draw is outside of your control, focusing on the strength of your medical evidence remains the most effective strategy.
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.