Approval rates
The approval rate for Judge Pease is calculated based on 18,027 lifetime decisions. While the judge's latest approval rate is 5 points below the Honolulu office average, it remains 5 points above the national average. These figures serve as a baseline for understanding the broader context of your upcoming hearing. 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 Pease'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 7-year tenure, Judge Pease has demonstrated a steady approach to disability claims. The approval rate showed a gradual upward trend from 57% in 2016 to a peak of 66% in 2020 and 2021, before adjusting to 62% in the most recent reporting period. This pattern suggests a judge who maintains a stable, evidence-based approach to the complex medical and vocational requirements of your SSDI case.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Pease'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 Pease? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Honolulu hearing office
The Honolulu Hearing Office serves you across Hawaii, managing a significant volume of cases with a bench of 5 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 68%, reflecting the regional landscape of disability claims. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Honolulu Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Honolulu Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 48% to 82%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your own medical evidence is the most effective strategy for your hearing.
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.