Approval rates
Judge Velasquez has presided over 27,432 lifetime decisions during his 10-year tenure. His latest approval rate of 73% stands in contrast to the Indianapolis office average of 61% and the national average of 58%. This data reflects a substantial volume of cases, providing a stable look at his decision-making history.
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 Velasquez'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 the past decade, your judge's approval rate has fluctuated, ranging from a low of 64% in 2021 to a high of 81% in 2023. His recent performance remains strong, with a 75% approval rate in 2025. This trend indicates that his approach to disability claims remains consistent with his long-term averages.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Velasquez'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 Velasquez? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Indianapolis hearing office
The Indianapolis Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants across Indiana, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide approval rate that reflects the diverse nature of the claims processed in this region. You can visit the Indianapolis Hearing Office page for more information on the local 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 Indianapolis office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 48% to 72%. Because each judge has a unique approach to evaluating medical evidence, understanding the local landscape is useful for your preparation.
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.