Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at data from the same timeframe. While your judge's 59% approval rate reflects the entire record since 2016, the latest-period approval rate of 60% can be compared directly to the Livonia MI office's latest-period rate of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding how decisions have trended relative to the office average.
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 Smisek'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 December 2016, the judge has issued 3,690 decisions. The yearly approval trend has fluctuated, starting at 72% in 2017 and stabilizing near 60% in recent years. The latest-period approval rate of 60% is 2 percentage points higher than the office average, suggesting a consistent approach to case evaluation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Smisek'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.
About the Livonia MI hearing office
Sarah R. Smisek's most recent office on record is the Livonia MI hearing office. This office maintains a bench of 18 judges, and the office-wide latest-period approval rate is 58%. You can see the Livonia MI Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Livonia MI
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 18 judges whose most recent office on record is the Livonia MI office. These judges show a wide range of approval rates, from 44% to 74% on their since-2016 records.
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Judge Smisek's latest-period approval rate of 60% is 2 percentage points higher than the Livonia MI office's latest-period average of 58%. Because case assignment is random, an attorney can help you prepare your case to meet the specific evidentiary standards of this hearing office.
The approval rate has fluctuated over the 3,690 decisions on record since December 2016, ranging from a high of 72% in 2017 to 60% in the latest period. Understanding these trends is part of how an attorney can help you prepare for your hearing.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases to judges at the Livonia MI office, ensuring that assignments remain random. An attorney can help you understand the process regardless of your assigned judge.
The 59% approval rate on record since 2016 is a statistical observation of past performance, not a guarantee of how Judge Smisek will rule on your specific claim. Your outcome depends primarily on the medical evidence and vocational documentation you provide, which an attorney can help you organize.
