Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing. Judge Thomasson maintains a lifetime approval rate of 66%, which is higher than the 58% national average. By analyzing 23,894 lifetime decisions, you can observe how her courtroom outcomes compare to the 68% approval rate seen across the Portland office. 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 Thomasson'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Thomasson has seen her approval rates shift. After starting with a 38% approval rate in 2016, the trend moved upward, peaking at 84% in 2021 before settling into a more moderate range in recent years. The current 68% approval rate reflects a return to levels seen in 2019. These fluctuations often mirror changes in the complexity of cases or the evidentiary standards applied during specific reporting periods.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Thomasson'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 Thomasson? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Portland OR hearing office
The Portland OR Hearing Office serves a diverse population across Oregon, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an overall approval rate that reflects the regional caseload. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical documentation and work history. You can see the Portland OR Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Portland OR Hearing Office, individual lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 49% to 76%. Because of this variance, understanding the general environment of the office is helpful, even if you cannot choose your 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.