Approval rates
Judge Toal’s approval rate is calculated from 2,562 lifetime decisions. In the latest reporting period, his performance shows a 6-point lead over the Milwaukee office average, though he tracks 2 points lower than both state and national averages. These metrics offer a view of past decisions rather than a prediction for your specific 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 Toal'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 Toal has demonstrated a shift in his decision-making trajectory. His approval rate moved from 65% in 2016 to 44% in 2017. This variance suggests that his recent output has tightened compared to his earlier tenure, which may reflect changes in the complexity of the cases assigned to his docket.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Toal'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 scheduled?
About the Milwaukee hearing office
The Milwaukee Hearing Office serves a broad population across Wisconsin, managing SSDI claims with a bench of 6 ALJs. The office currently reports an approval rate of 50%, reflecting the standard of evidence required for disability claims in this region. You can expect a formal, evidence-heavy process designed to verify your medical and vocational limitations. You can see the Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 42% to 56%. Because every judge interprets evidence through their own lens, understanding the office-wide environment is as important as looking at one individual. You can find more information on the Milwaukee hearing office page.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.