Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to office and national benchmarks provides a helpful perspective on the hearing landscape. While the Long Island Hearing Office maintains a recent approval rate of 75%, Judge Tobias has navigated a complex docket over his 10-year tenure. These statistics are derived from 23,042 lifetime decisions, offering a robust sample size for analysis. 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 Tobias'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 10-year career, Judge Tobias has seen his approval rate fluctuate, notably dipping to 52% in 2022 before trending upward to 79% in 2025. This pattern suggests an evolving approach to case evaluation, potentially influenced by changes in the types of medical evidence presented or shifts in SSA policy. The latest period reflects a continuation of this recent upward trend. Understanding these shifts helps you focus on the most relevant medical documentation for your hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Tobias'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 Tobias? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Long Island hearing office
The Long Island Hearing Office serves a significant population across New York, managing a high volume of disability claims with a dedicated team of 6 administrative law judges. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 75%, this location operates above the national average of 58%. You can expect a professional environment focused on the rigorous evaluation of medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Long Island Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Long Island Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 57% to 81%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your own medical evidence remains the most critical step. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.