Approval rates
Judge Sandbothe maintains a lifetime approval rate of 68%, a figure derived from his 10-year tenure and 18,290 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his 61% approval rate outperforms both the West Des Moines office average of 55% and the national average of 58%. These metrics describe historical decision-making tendencies rather than individual hearing outcomes.
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 Sandbothe'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Sandbothe has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability claims. His yearly approval trends show stability, with rates fluctuating between 61% and 72% throughout his career. This long-term consistency reflects a steady judicial philosophy applied across his 18,290 lifetime decisions.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Sandbothe'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.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to Judge Sandbothe is essentially random. Within the West Des Moines hearing office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges vary significantly, ranging from 38% to 70%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your own medical evidence is the most reliable strategy.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.