Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Quandt maintains a lifetime approval rate of 57%, which aligns with the current 57% approval rate seen across the Flint Hearing Office. While national averages currently hover at 58%, her recent performance indicates a shift in decision patterns. 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 Quandt'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 Quandt has presided over 19,220 lifetime decisions. Her annual approval rates have fluctuated, dipping to 52% in 2018 before trending upward to reach 65% in 2025. This recent period shows a notable divergence from her earlier patterns. The current trend suggests a more favorable environment for your claim compared to her mid-tenure years, likely influenced by changes in case complexity or evidence standards.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Quandt'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 Quandt? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Flint hearing office
The Flint Hearing Office serves a significant population of claimants across Michigan, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a steady pace of adjudication to address the regional backlog. You can expect a formal process focused on the documentation of your impairments and work history. You can see the Flint Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Flint Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 43% to 60%. This variance highlights why it is important to focus on the strength of your medical evidence regardless of your specific assignment. You can find more information on the Flint 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.