Approval rates
Judge Schulz maintains a lifetime approval rate of 57% based on 2,410 total decisions. In the most recent reporting period, her approval rate was 54%, which is 2 percentage points below the Bronx Hearing Office average and 1 point below the national average. These figures reflect the judge's activity over her 3-year tenure.
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 Schulz'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
Since joining the bench in 2023, Judge Schulz has presided over a significant volume of cases. Her approval rate was 73% in 2023, 58% in 2024, and 57% in 2025. This trend indicates a stabilization in her decision-making pattern as she has gained experience on the bench.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Schulz'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 Schulz? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Bronx hearing office
The Bronx Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants throughout the New York region. With a bench of 6 judges, this office manages a high volume of disability claims, maintaining an office-wide approval rate of 59%. You can see the Bronx Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Across the Bronx Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 45% to 68%. Because this variance exists, you should focus on the strength of your medical evidence 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.