Approval rates
When reviewing the data, it is helpful to compare your judge's performance against the broader bench at the Wilkes Barre hearing office. While your judge maintains a 56% approval rate on record since 2016, the office bench ranges from 27% to 57% over the same period. In the most recent reporting period, your judge's 44% approval rate sits 1 point below the office average of 45%. These figures are based on thousands of decisions, providing a clear statistical view of past activity.
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 Stolls'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
Your judge's approval rate has shown variation across the 3,951 decisions on record since 2016. After reaching a peak of 70% in 2018, the annual approval rate trended downward, reaching 44% in the most recent partial fiscal year. This recent figure represents a decline compared to the long-term average on record. Such fluctuations often occur due to changes in the complexity of cases or the specific evidence presented in a given year.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Stolls'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 Wilkes Barre hearing office
The Wilkes Barre hearing office is the most recent office on record for Michele Stolls as of July 2026. This office hosts a bench of 13 judges who handle a diverse range of disability claims. With an office-wide approval rate of 45% in the latest reporting period, you can expect a thorough review of your medical and vocational evidence.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Wilkes Barre
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 13 judges whose most recent office on record is the Wilkes Barre hearing office, and 11 of them decided cases here in the latest file from July 2026. Approval rates across this bench vary significantly, ranging from 27% to 57% 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
Michele Stolls has a 56% approval rate on record since 2016, which sits within the 27% to 57% range observed among the 13 judges whose most recent office on record is Wilkes Barre. An attorney can help you understand how your specific case evidence aligns with these historical patterns.
Yes, the approval rate has fluctuated over time. After a high of 70% in 2018, the rate has seen a decline, reaching 44% in the most recent partial fiscal year. An attorney can help you prepare a strong case regardless of these historical trends.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency, making the assignment process random. An attorney can help you navigate the hearing process regardless of your assignment.
A hearing typically involves you, the judge, a court reporter, and potentially a vocational or medical expert. The judge will ask questions about your work history and medical limitations to determine if you meet the criteria for SSDI benefits. An attorney can help you prepare for these questions.
The approval rate is a probability cloud based on past decisions, not a guarantee of a specific outcome for your hearing. Your success depends primarily on the quality of your medical evidence and how well you document your limitations. An attorney can help you build the strongest possible case.
