Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and recent trends. Judge Suna has issued 16,527 lifetime decisions, providing a robust dataset for analysis. While the latest approval rate of 64% sits near the national average, view these figures as a probability cloud rather than a guaranteed outcome. 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 Suna'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 a decade on the bench, Judge Suna has seen fluctuations in approval rates, ranging from a low of 43% in 2020 to a high of 65% in 2023 and 2024. The data shows a period of lower approval rates between 2018 and 2021, followed by a recovery in the most recent reporting periods. This upward trend suggests a shift in case outcomes that may reflect changes in case mix or evidence quality. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Suna'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 Suna? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Jersey City hearing office
The Jersey City Hearing Office serves you across the New Jersey region, managing a high volume of disability cases with a team of 6 administrative law judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate that reflects the broader regional trends in disability adjudication. You can expect a standard hearing process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can see the Jersey City Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Jersey City Hearing Office, individual lifetime approval rates vary significantly, ranging from 47% to 81% across the bench. This variance highlights why understanding the local judicial environment is useful for your preparation. You can find more information on the Jersey City 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.