Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime approval rate to current office and national averages provides context for your hearing. Judge Rutledge has presided over 5,790 lifetime decisions, establishing a clear statistical record. While the latest reporting period shows a variance compared to the broader Philadelphia East office, these figures represent historical trends rather than a fixed outcome for your specific claim.
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 Rutledge'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 4-year tenure, Judge Rutledge has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. The yearly trend shows an approval rate of 47% in 2018, 43% in 2019, 51% in 2020, and 55% in 2021. This trajectory reflects how your case may be evaluated based on the evidence you present.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Rutledge'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 Rutledge? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Philadelphia East hearing office
The Philadelphia East Hearing Office serves you across Pennsylvania and the surrounding region. With a bench of 6 judges, this office manages a high volume of cases to address your needs. The office-wide latest approval rate is 57%, which serves as a benchmark for the local hearing environment. You can visit the Philadelphia East Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Philadelphia East office, the 6 ALJs range from 40% to 71% in lifetime approval rates. Because each judge manages their docket differently, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful.
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.