Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks helps you understand the local landscape of your SSDI claim. Judge Serafin currently maintains an approval rate of 46% for the latest reporting period, which sits 13 percentage points below the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 17,199 lifetime decisions accumulated over 9 years on the bench. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Serafin'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 9-year tenure, Judge Serafin has navigated a varied caseload with a lifetime approval rate of 45%. The yearly trend shows fluctuations, with approval rates reaching a high of 53% in 2022 before shifting to 35% in 2023 and stabilizing near 45% in 2025. This pattern suggests that while the judge's approach remains consistent, individual outcomes are heavily influenced by the specific medical evidence you present. The recent data reflects a continuation of this steady, long-term decision-making pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Serafin'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 Serafin? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Charleston WV hearing office
The Charleston WV Hearing Office serves you throughout West Virginia and parts of the surrounding region. This office manages a high volume of cases with a current office-wide approval rate of 59%. You can expect a formal process focused on the objective medical evidence supporting your disability claim. You can see the Charleston WV 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 Charleston WV Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 39% to 79%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your own medical documentation is vital. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.