Approval rates
The following table compares Sung Park's approval rate to the office, state, and national averages over the 12 months to July 31, 2026. These figures are based on 386 total decisions during this period. The long-term record since 2016 is also provided to show the decision-making pattern over time.
SSA publishes no office- or national-level breakdown of fully favorable and denial rates. The 12 months are SSA's figures for this fiscal year to date plus the rest of the previous fiscal year; how we calculate them.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Park'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
Since 2016, Sung Park has issued 3,056 decisions. The 55% approval rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, is higher than the 38% approval rate recorded since 2016.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Park'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.
About the Los Angeles Downtown hearing office
The Los Angeles Downtown Hearing Office is the most recent office on record for Sung Park, as of July 2026. This office has a bench of 10 judges whose most recent office on record is this location.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Los Angeles Downtown
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm. Approval rates vary across the bench, with the 4 judges who decided cases here in SSA's latest file ranging from 55% to 87% over the 12-month window. There are 10 judges whose most recent office on record is this one, 4 of whom decided cases here in SSA's latest file.
Judges with similar approval rates
These active judges' approval rates over the same 12 months (July 26, 2025 – July 31, 2026) are closest to Judge Park's 55%. All five last decided cases in California.
- 55% Approval rate, last 12 months Sara A. Gillis
- 55% Approval rate, last 12 months Kimberly M. Gallegos
- 54% Approval rate, last 12 months David Lacy
- 56% Approval rate, last 12 months K. Kwon
- 54% Approval rate, last 12 months Mary P. Parnow
Rates within 5 points of each other are hard to tell apart at a typical caseload, so treat these as judges with comparable records, not a ranking. See Judge Park and the three closest side by side →
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, Sung Park's 55% approval rate is at the lower end of the 55% to 87% range seen among the 4 judges who decided cases here in SSA's latest file. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this hearing office.
Yes, the approval rate has trended upward. While the rate on record since 2016 is 38%, the most recent 12-month window shows a 55% approval rate. An attorney can help you understand how your case evidence fits into this pattern.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency. An attorney can help you prepare for your hearing regardless of which judge is assigned.
An approval rate is a statistical summary of past decisions and does not predict the outcome of your specific hearing. Your case's success depends primarily on the medical evidence and documentation you provide. An attorney can help you organize this evidence to give your claim the best chance of success.
