Approval rates
Over a decade on the bench, Judge Tranguch has presided over 21,459 decisions. His lifetime approval rate of 42% provides a baseline for understanding his history compared to the Wilkes Barre office latest rate of 46% and the national average of 58%. These figures reflect a significant volume of cases, offering a stable view of past trends. 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 Tranguch'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
Judge Tranguch has maintained a varied approval pattern throughout his 10-year tenure. While his early years saw rates near 46% to 49%, recent periods have fluctuated, with the latest reporting period showing a 37% approval rate. This recent figure sits 4 percentage points below the current Wilkes Barre office average. The data suggests a shift in recent outcomes compared to his long-term average, which may reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the evidence presented in recent hearings.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Tranguch'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 Wilkes Barre hearing office
The Wilkes Barre Hearing Office serves you throughout Pennsylvania, managing a high volume of disability cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 46%, which provides context for the local environment where your hearing will take place. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can see the Wilkes Barre 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 your assignment to Judge Tranguch is essentially random. Across the Wilkes Barre bench, lifetime approval rates for judges range from 29% to 59%. While your specific judge is determined by this administrative process, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.