Approval rates
Evaluating a judge's approval rate requires looking at both their long-term history and recent trends. Judge Park has issued 16,664 lifetime decisions. While their lifetime rate is 36%, the most recent reporting period shows an approval rate of 55%. This is compared against the Los Angeles Downtown Hearing Office average of 62% and the national average of 58%. These figures reflect historical data rather than future outcomes.
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 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
Over a 10-year tenure, Judge Park's decision pattern has shown notable shifts. After starting with lower approval rates in the early years, the data indicates a steady upward trend in recent periods, reaching 55% in 2025. This latest period represents a significant divergence from the lifetime average of 36%. These fluctuations often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented during hearings.
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.
Hearing with Judge Park? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Los Angeles Downtown hearing office
The Los Angeles Downtown Hearing Office serves a large population across California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 62%. You can expect a formal hearing process where medical documentation and vocational testimony are central to the outcome. You can visit the Los Angeles Downtown 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 Los Angeles Downtown Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 36% to 76%. Because you cannot choose your judge, your focus should remain on building a robust evidentiary record. The guidance for your preparation remains consistent regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
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.