Approval rates
Judge Raeber maintains a lifetime approval rate of 55% across 17,077 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate reached 70%, compared to the office average of 66% and the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for your understanding of his decision-making history over the last decade. 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 Raeber'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 career, Judge Raeber has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. His yearly approval trends show fluctuations, ranging from a low of 49% in 2021 to a high of 72% in 2025. This recent uptick in the 2025 reporting period marks a shift from his long-term lifetime average. Such patterns often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of medical evidence presented during hearings.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Raeber'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 Raeber? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Mt Pleasant MI hearing office
The MT Pleasant MI hearing office serves a broad region of claimants throughout Michigan. The office manages a steady volume of cases through a team of 6 judges who handle thousands of hearings annually. You can expect a formal process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the MT Pleasant MI Hearing Office page for more information on the office roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to Judge Raeber is essentially random. Across the MT Pleasant MI hearing office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 55% to 63%. Because every judge operates within the same federal regulatory framework, the core requirements for proving your disability remain consistent. You can find the full ALJ roster on the MT Pleasant MI 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.