Approval rates
Judge Parnow has presided over 20,298 lifetime decisions during a 10-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, the judge recorded an approval rate of 50%, which compares to the 45% office average and the 58% national average. These figures provide a high-level view of historical decision-making tendencies.
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 Parnow'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 the last decade, your judge's approval rate has experienced fluctuations, moving from 59% in 2016 to 45% in 2022, before reaching 53% in 2025. This pattern suggests that while the judge's approach is generally consistent, the specific evidence and case mix presented in any given year can influence outcomes.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Parnow'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 Parnow? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the San Francisco hearing office
The San Francisco Hearing Office serves you throughout the California region, managing a high volume of disability cases. The office currently maintains an office-wide approval rate of 45%. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the San Francisco Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 38% to 66%. Because of this variance, understanding the general environment of the office is helpful for your preparation.
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.