Approval rates
Judge Thomas has issued 5,861 lifetime decisions during his tenure. His 34% lifetime approval rate is 20 percentage points lower than the Minneapolis Hearing Office average and 24 percentage points lower than the national average. These figures provide a statistical baseline for your expectations, though they do not account for the unique medical evidence in your file. Aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting your individual outcome.
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 Thomas'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 2 years on the bench, Judge Thomas has maintained a consistent decision-making pattern. His approval rate was 34% in 2016 and 35% in 2017, indicating a stable trend throughout his tenure. This consistency suggests that his approach to evaluating disability claims has remained steady. The latest period reflects a continuation of this stable pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Thomas'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 Thomas? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Minneapolis hearing office
The Minneapolis Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Minnesota, managing a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 54%, reflecting the broader environment in which your hearing will take place. You can expect a professional, evidence-focused environment designed to evaluate claims under 20 CFR Part 404. See the Minneapolis Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. At the Minneapolis Hearing Office, the bench consists of 6 judges whose lifetime approval rates range from 34% to 67%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is vital to focus on the strength of your medical evidence. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent regardless of your assigned judge.
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.