Approval rates
When evaluating your potential outcome, it is helpful to look at how your judge’s approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. His lifetime rate of 29% is measured against the latest Topeka KS office average of 43% and the national average of 58%. These comparisons provide a statistical snapshot of his docket over his 5 years on the bench. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Stueve'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 tenure, your judge has maintained a consistent pattern of decision-making. His approval rate saw a peak of 36% in 2017 before trending toward 22% in his most recent reporting period. This variation is common among ALJs and often reflects changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented during hearings. The current trend suggests a stable approach to case evaluation, with the latest period reflecting a continuation of his established adjudication style.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Stueve'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 Stueve? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Topeka KS hearing office
The Topeka KS hearing office serves you and other claimants throughout Kansas and the surrounding region. It is staffed by a team of ALJs who manage a high volume of disability claims annually. The office currently reports an approval rate of 43%, which provides a local baseline for your hearing. You can see the Topeka KS Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. At the Topeka KS hearing office, the bench includes judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 24% to 60%. Because of this variance, understanding the office environment is as important as knowing your specific judge. You can find more information on the office's overall performance on the Topeka KS hearing office page.
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.