Approval rates
Judge Opp has presided over 10,246 lifetime decisions during his 5-year tenure. His 62% lifetime approval rate is measured against the latest Billings Hearing Office average of 64% and the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding the judicial environment in Montana. 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 Opp'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 5 years on the bench, Judge Opp has seen his approval rate fluctuate, starting at 65% in 2016 and shifting to 47% in 2020. This trend reflects a variety of factors, including changes in case complexity and the specific evidence presented in individual hearings. While the most recent period shows a divergence from his long-term average, the volume of 10,246 lifetime decisions provides a significant sample size. This pattern suggests that your case-specific evidence remains the primary driver of outcomes in his courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Opp'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 Opp? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Billings hearing office
The Billings Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Montana and the surrounding region. It is staffed by 6 administrative law judges who manage a high volume of disability appeals. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 64%, the facility is designed to process claims efficiently while ensuring due process. You can visit the Billings 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 Opp is essentially random. Within the Billings Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 31% to 69%. This variance highlights the importance of thorough preparation, as the judge you draw can influence the procedural flow of your hearing. 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.