Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Reich maintains a lifetime approval rate of 63%, which aligns with the Los Angeles West office average and exceeds the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 21,292 lifetime decisions accumulated over a decade of service. 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 Reich'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 10-year tenure, Judge Reich has presided over 21,292 lifetime decisions. The yearly trend shows a period of fluctuation followed by a notable rise in approvals, reaching 80% in 2025. This recent activity represents a departure from the mid-career dip seen between 2018 and 2022. Such shifts often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or evolving evidentiary standards, and the latest period reflects a continuation of this upward trend.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Reich'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 Reich? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Los Angeles West hearing office
The Los Angeles West Hearing Office serves a large population across California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide approval rate that reflects the diverse nature of the regional caseload. You can expect a professional environment focused on the rigorous evaluation of medical and vocational evidence. See the Los Angeles West 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 Los Angeles West Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 39% to 66%. This variance highlights why your specific case evidence remains the most important factor in your outcome. 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.