Approval rates
Evaluating a judge's performance requires looking at their lifetime approval rate compared to current regional and national benchmarks. Judge Thorbjornsen has presided over 16,731 decisions during his 8-year tenure. While his latest reporting period shows an approval rate 7 points below the national average of 58%, these figures reflect a broad history of case outcomes rather than 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 Thorbjornsen'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 8-year tenure, Judge Thorbjornsen has seen his annual approval rates fluctuate, ranging from a high of 60% in 2016 to a low of 43% in 2019. Following the 2019 period, the data shows a return to more moderate approval levels, with the most recent years hovering near the 53% to 54% mark. This trend suggests a stabilization in his decision-making pattern after a period of variance.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Thorbjornsen'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 Thorbjornsen? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Valparaiso IN hearing office
The Valparaiso IN hearing office serves you throughout the region, managing a high volume of disability appeals. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 58%, which aligns with the national standard. You can expect a formal administrative process where the quality of your medical records and vocational testimony remains the primary factor in a favorable decision. You can visit the Valparaiso IN Hearing Office page for more information.
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 Valparaiso IN hearing office, the bench includes 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 41% to 65%. Because you cannot choose your judge, your focus should remain on the strength of your medical documentation.
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.