Approval rates
When evaluating your chances for Social Security Disability Insurance, comparing your judge's history to broader benchmarks is a standard step. Hon. Yeli Quinones-Regalado maintains an 83% lifetime approval rate, which stands significantly higher than the current San Juan office average of 68% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 19,582 lifetime decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Quinones-Regalado'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 a 9-year tenure, the approval patterns for Hon. Yeli Quinones-Regalado have shown a consistent trend toward higher allowance rates. After an initial period, the judge’s approval frequency climbed and has remained steady, with a recent 85% approval rate in the latest reporting period. This stability suggests a predictable approach to evaluating evidence. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, which remains well above the Social Security Administration national benchmarks.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Quinones-Regalado'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 Quinones-Regalado? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the San Juan hearing office
The San Juan Hearing Office serves claimants across Puerto Rico, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a latest-period approval rate of 68%. Claimants appearing here can expect a rigorous review process focused on medical evidence and vocational capacity. You can see the San Juan 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 your specific judge is often determined by random selection. Within the San Juan Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary widely, ranging from 43% to 83%. This variance highlights why understanding the general environment of your hearing office is useful. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you're assigned.
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.