Approval rates
Judge Rippel has presided over 26,428 lifetime decisions during his 10-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate was 42%, which is 1 point above the Charlottesville office average and 13 points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding how the judge has approached cases historically.
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 Rippel'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 years on the bench, your judge's approval rate has shifted across different cycles. After starting at 36% in 2016, the rate reached 53% in 2024 and was 44% in 2025. This trend indicates that while the judge's approach has evolved, he maintains a consistent volume of decisions. The latest period reflects a continuation of this pattern, suggesting that your case-specific evidence remains the primary driver of your outcome.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Rippel'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 Rippel? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Charlottesville hearing office
The Charlottesville Hearing Office serves you and other claimants throughout Virginia and the surrounding region. It is staffed by 6 administrative law judges who manage a high volume of disability claims. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 44%, reflecting regional trends in disability adjudication.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning you cannot choose your judge. Within the Charlottesville office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 39% to 82%. This variance highlights that the judge you draw is a significant variable in your hearing process.
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.