Approval rates
When evaluating your claim, it is helpful to look at how Judge Tindale compares to broader benchmarks. While the national average approval rate currently sits at 58%, Judge Tindale's latest reporting period shows an approval rate of 51%. This data is drawn from a significant docket of 19,909 lifetime decisions, providing a stable view of historical trends. 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 Tindale'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 10-year tenure, Judge Tindale has maintained a consistent approach to disability adjudication. The yearly trend indicates a period of lower approval rates between 2017 and 2021, followed by a gradual upward shift in recent years, reaching 54% in 2025. This recent activity suggests a potential evolution in how evidence is weighed or a shift in the types of cases appearing on the docket. 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 Tindale'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.
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Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Cincinnati hearing office
The Cincinnati Hearing Office serves a large population across Ohio, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 56%, which provides a local context for your upcoming hearing. You can expect a professional environment where medical documentation and vocational testimony are the primary drivers of the decision process. You can view the full ALJ roster on the Cincinnati (Ohio) Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Cincinnati Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 37% to 73%. Because this variance exists, it is important to focus on the strength of your medical evidence regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing. You can find more information on the Cincinnati (Ohio) 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.