Approval rates
Judge Ross maintains a lifetime approval rate of 48% based on 17,016 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, the judge recorded an approval rate of 53%, which compares to the Seattle office average of 58% and the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical snapshot of the judge's history on the bench. 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 Ross'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 9 years on the bench, your judge's approval rate has shown notable shifts. After an initial period of high approval in 2017, the rate adjusted and has fluctuated between 41% and 55% in recent years. The most recent data indicates a trend toward higher approval rates compared to the middle of the judge's tenure. This pattern reflects a consistent approach to evaluating evidence, with the latest period showing a steady trend.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Ross'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 Ross? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Seattle hearing office
The Seattle Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Washington and the surrounding region. It is a busy office with 6 judges managing a significant caseload. The office-wide latest approval rate is 58%, reflecting the local administrative environment. You can expect a professional hearing process focused on your medical and vocational evidence. See the Seattle Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is effectively random. Within the Seattle Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 27% to 66%. This variance highlights why understanding the general environment of your hearing office is useful. You can find more information on the Seattle 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.