Approval rates
Judge Saame maintains a lifetime approval rate of 63% based on 7,465 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate reached 78%, which is 7 percentage points higher than the Chicago office average and 5 points above the national average. This data provides a statistical look at his tenure over the last 10 years. 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 Saame'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 his 10 years on the bench, Judge Saame has seen fluctuations in his approval patterns. While his early years showed rates in the 40% to 60% range, recent years have trended upward, including a high of 100% in 2023 and 83% in 2024. This recent period reflects a shift toward higher approval outcomes compared to his earlier career. These variations often stem from changes in the specific types of cases assigned or the quality of evidence presented in those dockets.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Saame'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 Saame? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Chicago hearing office
The Chicago Hearing Office serves a large population in Illinois and manages a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide approval rate that reflects the diverse caseload of the region. You should be prepared for a formal process focused on medical documentation. You can see the Chicago Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Chicago office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 41% to 69%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is important to focus on the strength of your medical evidence. The guidance for your preparation remains consistent regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
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.