Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Pantuso maintains a lifetime approval rate of 63%, which currently tracks 5 points above the national average of 58%. While her latest approval rate of 61% is slightly lower than the Jersey City office average of 65%, her docket of 3,114 decisions provides a stable statistical foundation. 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 Pantuso'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 her 2 years on the bench, Judge Pantuso has maintained a consistent approval pattern. Her yearly data shows a slight shift from 64% in 2024 to 63% in 2025, indicating a stable approach to case evaluation. This consistency suggests that her decision-making process is well-established early in her tenure. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, providing a reliable baseline for understanding how she evaluates evidence.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Pantuso'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 Pantuso? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Jersey City hearing office
The Jersey City Hearing Office serves a diverse population across New Jersey, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an overall approval rate of 65%, reflecting the local standards for disability adjudication. You can expect a professional environment focused on the medical and vocational evidence presented in your file. You can see the Jersey City 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Jersey City office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges vary significantly, ranging from 57% to 81%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is more important than the specific judge assigned. You can review the full ALJ roster on the Jersey City 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.