Approval rates
Judge Roberson has presided over 22,216 lifetime decisions during his 9-year tenure. His latest reporting period shows a 60% approval rate, which compares to a 61% average at the Indianapolis office and a 58% national average. These figures offer context regarding how his bench has historically weighed evidence compared to his peers. 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 Roberson'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 9 years on the bench, your judge has seen his approval rates fluctuate, starting at 74% in 2017 before adjusting to a more consistent range between 56% and 62% in recent years. This trend suggests a stabilization in his decision-making process following his initial years of service. The latest period, with a 60% approval rate, reflects a continuation of this steady pattern. You can find more information on the Indianapolis Hearing Office page.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Roberson'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 Roberson? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Indianapolis hearing office
The Indianapolis Hearing Office serves a broad population across Indiana, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 61%. You can expect a professional environment focused on the thorough review of medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Indianapolis 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Indianapolis Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 48% to 72%. While these differences exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent across the entire bench. You can find more information on the Indianapolis 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.