Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at consistent timeframes to ensure accuracy. While Stephen Pope maintains a 56% approval rate across his record since 2023, his latest-period performance shows a 63% approval rate. This latest figure sits 2 percentage points above the Evanston office average of 61%, 9 points above the state average of 54%, and 5 points above the national average of 58%. These figures provide context for the 948 decisions on record.
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 Pope'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 decision pattern for Stephen Pope shows a steady upward trend in approval rates since 2023. Starting at 50% in 2023, the approval rate moved to 53% in 2024, 58% in 2025, and reached 63% in the partial 2026 fiscal year. With 948 total decisions on record, this progression indicates a consistent shift in outcomes over the last few years.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Pope'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 Evanston hearing office
Stephen Pope's most recent office on record is the Evanston hearing office. This office maintains a latest-period approval rate of 61% across its bench of 15 judges. You can see the Evanston hearing office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Evanston
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 15 judges whose most recent office on record is the Evanston hearing office, and 6 of them decided cases here in SSA's latest file through July 2026. Approval rates for this bench range from 45% to 79% on their 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
Stephen Pope's latest-period approval rate of 63% is 2 percentage points higher than the Evanston office average of 61%. Because case assignment is random, an attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this hearing office.
Yes, the data shows a steady increase in approval rates. The rate rose from 50% in 2023 to 63% in the partial 2026 fiscal year. An attorney can help you understand how these trends might relate to your specific case evidence.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases randomly. An attorney can help you prepare for your hearing regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
An SSDI hearing is a formal but non-adversarial proceeding where a judge reviews your medical records and hears testimony. Having an attorney can help you organize your evidence and prepare for the questions the judge is likely to ask.
An approval rate is a probability cloud based on past decisions, not a guarantee of a specific outcome for your hearing. Your case's success depends primarily on the quality of your medical evidence and vocational testimony. An attorney can help you build a stronger case.
