Approval rates
Judge Sher maintains a lifetime approval rate of 44%, derived from 21,605 lifetime decisions issued during his 10 years on the bench. In the most recent reporting period, your judge's approval rate was 41%, which compares to an office average of 53% and a national average of 58%. These metrics reflect a significant volume of cases, providing a stable view of his decision-making history. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for your individual hearing.
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 Sher'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 his decade-long tenure, Judge Sher has maintained a consistent approval pattern. His yearly performance shows periodic shifts, such as the 47% approval rate observed in 2022, contrasted with the 41% rate seen in 2021. The most recent data indicates a slight decline from his lifetime average, though this remains consistent with his historical decision-making style. This trend suggests that while case outcomes vary, the judge's approach to evaluating evidence has remained steady over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Sher'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 Sher? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Toledo OH hearing office
The Toledo OH Hearing Office serves a wide region in Ohio, managing a high volume of SSDI claims through its team of administrative law judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 53%, which serves as a benchmark for the local bench. You can expect a standard hearing process focused on the medical and vocational evidence presented in your file. You can visit the Toledo OH Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Toledo OH Hearing Office utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the office's bench of 6 judges, lifetime approval rates range from 44% to 51%. Because assignment is outside of your control, understanding the broader office environment is as important as reviewing an individual judge's history. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent 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.