Approval rates
The approval rate for Claudi L. Rosen-Underwood is based on 4,748 lifetime decisions rendered during her 5 years on the bench. In the most recent reporting period, her approval rate outperformed the Orange Hearing Office average by 3 percentage points and the national average by 7 percentage points. These statistics offer a window into historical trends, though aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than specific outcomes for your 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 Rosen-Underwood'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 her 5-year tenure, the approval rate for Claudi L. Rosen-Underwood has shown a positive trend. After an initial approval rate of 61% in 2016, the data indicates a peak of 71% in 2020. This pattern suggests a consistent approach to evaluating disability claims throughout her career. Recent data points reflect a continuation of this stable decision-making environment.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Rosen-Underwood'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 Rosen-Underwood? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Orange hearing office
The Orange Hearing Office serves a significant population in California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 62%. When you appear here, expect a formal process focused on the medical evidence and vocational testimony required by 20 CFR Part 404. You can see the Orange 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 is effectively random. Within the Orange Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 44% to 65%. Because of this variance, understanding the landscape of your local office is a standard part of case preparation. You can review the full roster on the Orange 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.