Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime approval rate against current office and national benchmarks provides perspective on the hearing environment. While the national average sits at 58% and the Harrisburg office average is 43%, Judge Riley has maintained a 37% approval rate over 20,160 lifetime decisions. These figures are derived from years of data, offering a stable view of the judge's history. 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 Riley'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 9 years on the bench, Judge Riley has presided over 20,160 lifetime decisions. The yearly trend shows fluctuation, with approval rates dipping to 30% in 2021 before rising to 45% in 2023. This recent uptick reflects a shift in the types of cases or the quality of evidence presented in the most recent period. The data reflects a career-long pattern of consistency that remains a central factor for your appearance before this judge.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Riley'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 Riley? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Harrisburg hearing office
The Harrisburg Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across central Pennsylvania, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 43%. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can find more information on the Harrisburg Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Harrisburg Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 29% to 65%. Because of this variance, understanding the landscape of the office is useful for your preparation. The guidance for your hearing remains consistent 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.