Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both lifetime trends and recent activity. Judge Prybylski currently maintains a 53% lifetime approval rate, while the latest reporting period shows a 57% approval rate. This latest figure is 6 points below the Bronx office average of 59% and 5 points below the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 15,550 lifetime decisions, providing a reliable statistical baseline.
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 Prybylski'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 9 years on the bench, Judge Prybylski has presided over 15,550 lifetime decisions. His yearly approval trend has fluctuated, showing a high of 64% in 2017 and a low of 44% in 2019, before stabilizing in recent years. The latest reporting period indicates a 57% approval rate, which aligns with his more recent annual performance. This trend suggests a consistent approach to case evaluation, where the latest period reflects a continuation of his established decision-making pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Prybylski'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 Prybylski? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Bronx hearing office
The Bronx Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants in New York, managing a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 59%. You can expect a standard administrative process governed by 20 CFR Part 404, which focuses on medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Bronx Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Bronx Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 43% to 68%. While these variations exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent regardless of the specific judge assigned to your hearing.
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.