Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to regional and national benchmarks provides context for your Social Security disability hearing. Judge Sorg-Graves maintains a lifetime approval rate of 41%, which differs from the 61% latest approval rate observed at the Indianapolis Hearing Office. These figures are derived from a docket of 2,903 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of historical trends.
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 Sorg-Graves'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 2 years on the bench, Judge Sorg-Graves has presided over 2,903 lifetime decisions. Her yearly trend shows a shift from a 43% approval rate in 2016 to 20% in 2017. This decline reflects the changing nature of the evidence presented during her tenure. Such variations are common in the SSDI system and often reflect the complex nature of medical evidence required for your approval.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Sorg-Graves'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 Sorg-Graves? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Indianapolis hearing office
The Indianapolis Hearing Office serves a broad population across Indiana, managing a high volume of SSDI claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 61%. You can expect a formal environment where your medical documentation and vocational testimony are prioritized. See the Indianapolis 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 you cannot choose your judge. Within the Indianapolis Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 41% to 72%. This variance highlights why preparation is essential regardless of the specific judge assigned to your file.
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.