Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader averages provides context for your hearing. Judge O'Hara's lifetime approval rate of 19% sits against a Charlottesville Hearing Office latest approval rate of 44% and a national average of 58%. These figures are derived from 5,323 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 O'Hara'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 his 4-year tenure, Judge O'Hara's approval rate has fluctuated. Starting at 18% in 2016, the rate rose to 27% in 2017, then moved to 23% in 2018 and 12% in 2019. These shifts across 5,323 lifetime decisions suggest that case mix or evolving evidentiary standards may influence outcomes.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge O'Hara'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 O'Hara? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Charlottesville hearing office
The Charlottesville Hearing Office serves a broad region in Virginia, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 44%. You should expect a rigorous review process focused on your medical documentation and vocational evidence. You can visit the Charlottesville Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Charlottesville Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges vary significantly, ranging from 19% to 82%. This variance highlights why understanding the local bench 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.