Approval rates
Lissette C. Perez has presided over 12,850 decisions during her 10-year tenure. Her current approval rate of 57% compares favorably to the San Antonio Hearing Office average of 52% and remains consistent with the national average of 58%. These metrics offer a snapshot of past performance rather than a guarantee of future outcomes. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Perez'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 past decade, the approval rate for Lissette C. Perez has shown variance, ranging from 45% in 2016 to a peak of 65% in 2019 and 2020. Following a dip in 2021, the trend has stabilized, with recent years reflecting a return to her long-term average. This fluctuation often suggests shifts in case complexity or the quality of evidence presented rather than a change in judicial philosophy. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Perez'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 Perez? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the San Antonio hearing office
The San Antonio Hearing Office serves a large population across Texas, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 52%, which provides a baseline for the region. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical records and vocational history. You can see the San Antonio 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 your assignment to Lissette C. Perez is essentially random. Across the San Antonio Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 39% to 58%. Because case assignment is outside of your control, focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is the most effective way to prepare. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.