Approval rates
Comparing a judge's historical performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Shaughnessy's lifetime approval rate of 53% is evaluated against the latest office approval rate of 56% and the national average of 58%. With 22,622 lifetime decisions, the data offers a stable view of her past decision-making history. 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 Shaughnessy'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Shaughnessy has maintained a consistent decision-making profile. Her yearly approval rates have fluctuated between 49% and 57%. The most recent reporting period shows an approval rate of 57%, which aligns closely with her long-term performance. This trend suggests a stable approach to case evaluation, where the outcome remains dependent on the specific medical evidence and vocational testimony presented in your file.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Shaughnessy'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.
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Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Cincinnati hearing office
The Cincinnati Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Ohio and the surrounding region. It is staffed by a team of administrative law judges who manage a high volume of disability claims. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 56%, reflecting regional trends in SSDI adjudication. You can visit the Cincinnati Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Cincinnati Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 37% to 73%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your own medical documentation is essential. 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.