Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and recent trends. Over 10 years on the bench, Judge Page has issued 20,273 decisions. His latest approval rate of 79% stands higher than the Wichita Hearing Office average of 52% and the national average of 58%. These figures reflect past performance rather than a guarantee of your future outcome.
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 Page'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
The career of Judge Page shows a clear evolution in decision-making. After an initial period of higher approval rates, the data shows a shift toward a lower range between 2018 and 2020. However, the trend has moved upward significantly in recent years, with the latest period reaching 79%. This recent uptick reflects a growth in favorable outcomes, which may be influenced by changes in case complexity or the quality of evidence presented in recent dockets.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Page'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 Page? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Wichita hearing office
The Wichita Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Kansas, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office operates under broader SSA regional guidelines to process claims. The office-wide latest approval rate currently sits at 52%, reflecting the diverse nature of cases handled in this jurisdiction. You can see the Wichita 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Wichita Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 38% to 66%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is important to focus on the strength of your own medical documentation. You can find more information on the Wichita 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.