Approval rates
Judge Planas maintains an approval rate that aligns with the San Juan Hearing Office latest average of 68%. By comparison, her rate is 10 percentage points higher than the national average of 58%. With 3,654 decisions on the bench, her data provides a stable look at her adjudication history. 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 Planas'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 her 3 years on the bench, Judge Planas has maintained a steady approval rate. Her annual data shows a consistent pattern, with approval rates of 67% in 2023, 68% in 2024, and 68% in 2025. This stability suggests a predictable approach to case evaluation. The latest period reflects a continuation of this pattern, indicating that your decision-making process remains anchored in established criteria.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Planas'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 Planas? A free benefit check tells you if you qualify.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the San Juan hearing office
The San Juan Hearing Office serves you throughout Puerto Rico, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an approval rate that often exceeds national trends. You can expect a thorough review process where your medical documentation is the primary driver of the outcome. You can see the San Juan 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the San Juan office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 43% to 83%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is critical. You can find more information on the San Juan 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.