Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Schrand maintains a lifetime approval rate of 41% across 8,211 lifetime decisions. This figure is evaluated against the latest office, state, and national averages, which are 58%, 59%, and 58% respectively. These metrics are derived from a significant volume of cases, offering a stable view of historical trends.
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 Schrand'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 her 6 years on the bench, Judge Schrand has presided over 8,211 lifetime decisions. Her annual approval rates have shown fluctuation, beginning with a 51% approval rate in 2018 before shifting to 36% in 2019, 43% in 2020, 48% in 2021, and 28% in 2022. These variations reflect changes in case complexity or evidentiary standards over your judge's tenure.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Schrand'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 Schrand? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Valparaiso IN hearing office
The Valparaiso IN Hearing Office serves you and other claimants throughout the region, managing a diverse caseload of disability applications. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 58%. You can expect a standard hearing process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. For more information, visit the Valparaiso IN Hearing Office page.
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. Within the Valparaiso IN Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 41% to 65%. While these differences exist, the fundamental requirements for proving your disability remain consistent across all courtrooms.
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.