Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime approval rate to recent office and national trends provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Radensky has maintained a consistent presence on the bench over 10 years, presiding over a significant volume of cases. While his latest approval rate of 45% differs from the 62% office average, this data reflects the broad spectrum of cases heard in the Orange Hearing Office. 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 Radensky'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 his 10-year tenure, Judge Radensky has seen his approval rates fluctuate within a stable range. Starting at 38% in 2016, the rate saw a gradual rise before settling into the mid-40s in recent years. This pattern suggests a consistent approach to evaluating your disability claim, with the latest period showing a 45% approval rate. These trends indicate a steady judicial philosophy that has remained largely predictable throughout his time on the bench.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Radensky'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 Radensky? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Orange hearing office
The Orange Hearing Office serves a large population in California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 62%. You can expect a professional environment where thorough preparation is the standard for success. You can visit the Orange Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Orange Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 44% to 59%. Because you cannot choose your judge, your focus should remain on building a robust case with comprehensive medical documentation. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are 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.