Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Solomon's lifetime approval rate of 37% is evaluated against the latest office-wide approval rate of 60% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 21,297 lifetime decisions, offering a reliable look at historical trends. 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 Solomon'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Solomon has maintained a consistent decision-making pattern. While the approval rate saw a peak of 45% in 2017, it transitioned to a lower range in recent years, with the latest reporting period showing a 34% approval rate. This shift reflects a sustained trend rather than a sudden change in judicial philosophy. Understanding this trajectory helps you and your representative focus on the evidence quality required for your specific case.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Solomon'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 Solomon? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the New York hearing office
The New York Hearing Office serves a large population across the region, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 60%, which provides a baseline for local outcomes. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. See the New York (New York) 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. Across the New York Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 37% to 82%. This variance highlights why preparation remains critical regardless of the judge assigned to your hearing.
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.