Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at consistent timeframes. The 66% approval rate for S. Pines reflects all decisions on record since 2016. In contrast, the latest-period data allows for a focused comparison against the Portland OR office, state, and national averages. With 3,539 decisions on record, the data offers a stable baseline for understanding your judge's patterns.
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 Pines'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
The approval rate for S. Pines has varied across the 3,539 decisions on record since 2016. After starting at 55% in 2016, the rate rose to 76% in 2025 before shifting to 65% in the partial 2026 fiscal year. This latest-period rate of 65% remains consistent with the long-term average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Pines'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.
About the Portland OR hearing office
The most recent office on record for S. Pines is the Portland OR Hearing Office. This office includes a bench of 12 judges whose most recent office on record is this location. The office-wide latest-period approval rate is 64%, providing a benchmark for the local hearing environment.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Portland OR
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 12 judges whose most recent office on record is the Portland OR office, and 6 of them decided cases here in SSA's latest file through July 2026. Approval rates for this bench range from 34% to 66% on their since-2016 records.
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
In the latest reporting period, S. Pines had an approval rate of 65%, which is 1 point higher than the 64% average for the Portland OR office. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this hearing office.
Yes, the approval rate for S. Pines has fluctuated over time, moving from 55% in 2016 to a peak of 76% in 2025, before settling at 65% in the partial 2026 fiscal year. An attorney can help you evaluate your case strategy.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm. An attorney can help you prepare your case regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing.
An SSDI hearing is a formal proceeding where a judge reviews your medical evidence and hears testimony. Having a qualified attorney can help you organize your records and prepare your testimony for the hearing.
An approval rate is a statistical summary of past decisions and does not predict the outcome of your specific hearing. Your case's success depends primarily on the quality of your medical evidence, which an attorney can help you strengthen.
