Approval rates
Judge Packer maintains a lifetime approval rate of 68% across 11,079 lifetime decisions. In the latest reporting period, this judge outperformed the Boston Hearing Office average by 15 percentage points and the national average by 10 percentage points. These figures are derived from a significant docket size, providing a clear view of historical 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 Packer'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 5-year tenure, your judge has shown a positive trend in approval rates. Starting at 66% in 2016, the rate climbed to 75% by 2020. This upward trajectory reflects the judge's recent activity, though your lifetime average remains the most stable indicator of the judge's overall approach to disability claims.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Packer'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 Packer? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Boston hearing office
The Boston Hearing Office serves a large population across Massachusetts, managing a high volume of SSDI and SSI cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office handles complex medical and vocational evidence daily. You can expect a professional environment focused on the specific requirements of 20 CFR Part 404. You can see the Boston 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 Boston Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 37% to 68%. Because each judge has a unique perspective on evidence, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful. You can view the full roster on the Boston Hearing Office page.
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.