Approval rates
Judge Robinson maintains a lifetime approval rate of 39%, a figure derived from 3,836 lifetime decisions during his tenure. His approval rate is 11 points lower than the NHC Albuquerque office average and 19 points lower than the national average of 58%. This data provides a statistical baseline for understanding his bench activity. 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 Robinson'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 4 years on the bench, your judge has seen his approval rates shift, moving from 36% in 2016 to 46% in 2017, before settling into a more moderate range in subsequent years. This trend shows that his decision-making has not remained static, reflecting potential changes in the types of cases or the quality of evidence presented. The recent period suggests a continuation of this varied pattern. Understanding these fluctuations is essential for managing expectations regarding your hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Robinson'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 Robinson? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Nhc Albuquerque hearing office
The NHC Albuquerque hearing office serves you throughout New Mexico, managing a high volume of disability cases with a dedicated team of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 50%, which serves as a benchmark for the region. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the NHC Albuquerque Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to Judge Robinson is essentially random. Across the NHC Albuquerque office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 39% to 61%. Because of this variance, the judge you draw can influence the procedural flow of your hearing. 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.