Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. While the national average approval rate currently sits at 58%, Judge Verne's recent period shows a 40% approval rate. This data is drawn from a substantial docket of 20,521 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of his decision-making history. 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 Verne'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 years on the bench, Judge Verne has seen his approval rates fluctuate, ranging from a low of 31% in 2020 to a high of 47% in 2022. His recent activity shows a 40% approval rate, which aligns with his long-term career average. This pattern suggests a consistent approach to evaluating your disability claim, even as external factors and case volumes have shifted over the last decade. The current trend reflects a continuation of this steady pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Verne'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 Verne? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the San Diego hearing office
The San Diego Hearing Office serves a large population across Southern California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where case complexity often dictates the timeline of your hearing. You can expect a professional setting focused on the rigorous evaluation of your medical evidence. You can see the San Diego 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 a specific judge is essentially random. Within the San Diego office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 38% to 68%. This variation highlights why focusing on the strength of your own medical documentation is the most effective strategy. 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.