Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Rosten maintains a 64% lifetime approval rate, which tracks 6 points higher than the national average of 58%. Her recent performance shows a 66% approval rate, keeping her 4 points above the Fargo Hearing Office average of 62%. These figures are derived from 26,045 lifetime decisions.
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 Rosten'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 decade on the bench, Judge Rosten has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. Her approval rates fluctuated between 2021 and 2022, dipping to 56%, before rebounding to 67% in recent years. With 26,045 lifetime decisions, her track record suggests a return to her historical baseline. This recent stability indicates that her current decision-making pattern is well-established within the Fargo Hearing Office environment.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Rosten'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 Rosten? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Fargo hearing office
The Fargo Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across North Dakota and parts of the surrounding region. It operates with a bench of 6 judges who manage a high volume of disability cases. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 62%, reflecting regional trends in case outcomes.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Fargo Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 46% to 64%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the evidence, your preparation should focus on the specific medical documentation required for your claim.
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.