Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks helps provide context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Tronvig currently trends 7 pts above the Sacramento office average and 14 pts above the national average. These figures are derived from a docket of 4,632 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of his decision-making history. 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 Tronvig Jr.'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 3 years on the bench, Judge Tronvig has demonstrated a steady decision-making pattern. His approval rate was 67% in 2016, 76% in 2017, and 71% in 2018. These fluctuations often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented during those periods. The data suggests a stable approach to evaluating disability claims.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Tronvig Jr.'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 Sacramento hearing office
The Sacramento Hearing Office serves a large population across California, managing a high volume of SSDI claims. With 6 judges on the bench, the office maintains an average approval rate of 65%. You should expect a professional environment focused on the thorough review of medical documentation and vocational testimony. See the Sacramento 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 Sacramento Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 57% to 75%. Because each judge has a unique perspective on medical evidence, understanding the office-wide environment is useful. 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.