Approval rates
Claudia Travis maintains a lifetime approval rate of 74% across 4,141 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, her 79% approval rate sits higher than the Oak Brook office average of 57% and the national average of 58%. This data provides a statistical look at her history on the bench, though these figures do not predict the outcome of 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 Travis'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 her 3 years on the bench, Claudia Travis has shown a dynamic approval trend. After an initial 76% approval rate in 2023, the rate shifted to 69% in 2024 before rising to 79% in 2025. These fluctuations often mirror changes in case mix or the quality of evidence presented in individual hearings.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Travis'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 Travis? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Oak Brook hearing office
The Oak Brook Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Illinois and the surrounding region. It manages a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges who oversee a wide variety of medical and vocational evidence. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 57%. You can visit the Oak Brook 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Oak Brook office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 34% to 83%. While these differences exist, the core requirements for proving your disability remain consistent 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.