Approval rates
Evaluating your chances at a hearing often involves looking at historical data to understand how a judge typically rules. Sujata Rodgers has issued 21,827 lifetime decisions, providing a significant sample size to observe their approach. While the judge's latest approval rate of 45% is lower than the 53% office average and the 58% national average, these figures represent a probability cloud from past decisions, not a prediction for your specific 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 Rodgers'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, the approval rate for Sujata Rodgers has fluctuated, ranging from a low of 29% in 2021 to a recent high of 47% in 2025. The data shows a period of relative stability followed by recent shifts in the latest reporting cycle. Because your case mix and the quality of your medical evidence can vary significantly from year to year, these yearly trends reflect the complex nature of disability adjudication rather than a static policy.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Rodgers'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 Rodgers? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Boston hearing office
The Boston Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Massachusetts and the surrounding region. It is staffed by a team of 6 Administrative Law Judges who manage a high volume of disability appeals. The office currently maintains an office-wide approval rate of 53%. You can find more information about the local bench and administrative procedures on the Boston Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Boston Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 37% to 65%. Because you cannot choose your judge, your focus should remain on building the strongest possible evidence for your specific medical condition. You can learn more about the local bench on the Boston 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.