Approval rates
When evaluating your chances at a hearing, it is helpful to look at how a judge's approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. Judge Pustizzi maintains a 46% lifetime approval rate, which currently tracks 2 points below the Ft Lauderdale Hearing Office average and 12 points below the national average. These figures are derived from 13,181 lifetime decisions, providing a stable data set for analysis. 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 Pustizzi'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 9 years on the bench, Judge Pustizzi has seen fluctuations in her approval patterns. While her lifetime rate stands at 46%, yearly data shows a range from a low of 39% in 2023 to a high of 52% in 2018, 2022, and 2025. This variance suggests that the judge's approach remains responsive to the specific evidence and case mix presented in any given year. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady, albeit varied, pattern of decision-making.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Pustizzi'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 Pustizzi? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Ft Lauderdale hearing office
The Ft Lauderdale Hearing Office serves a large population in Florida, managing a high volume of SSDI claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 48%, slightly higher than Judge Pustizzi's individual lifetime average. You can expect a professional environment where evidence documentation is the primary driver of success. You can see the Ft Lauderdale 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 Ft Lauderdale Hearing Office, approval rates among the 6 judges vary significantly, ranging from 36% to 68% over their respective careers. This disparity highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is more important than the specific judge assigned. You can review the office's full roster on the Ft Lauderdale 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.