Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks helps you understand the environment of your upcoming hearing. Judge Petraschuk's lifetime approval rate of 91% stands in contrast to the Dover Hearing Office average of 63% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 1,191 lifetime decisions, providing a reliable statistical baseline. 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 Petraschuk'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 two-year tenure, Judge Petraschuk has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. The data shows an approval rate of 92% in 2016 and 91% in 2017, indicating a stable decision-making pattern. This consistency across 1,191 lifetime decisions suggests a predictable judicial philosophy. The recent period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, which remains well above the regional and national norms.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Petraschuk'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 Petraschuk? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Dover hearing office
The Dover Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Delaware and the surrounding region. It is staffed by a bench of six judges who manage a high volume of disability claims. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 63%, the facility handles a diverse range of medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Dover 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 Dover Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the six judges range from 42% to 91%. Because this variance exists, understanding your judge's history is a standard part of your hearing preparation. You can find more information on the Dover Hearing Office page.
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.