Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime performance to current office and national benchmarks provides a clearer picture of the local hearing environment. Judge Walsh maintains an 84% lifetime approval rate, which stands in contrast to the 59% latest approval rate at the Bronx office and the 58% national average. These figures are derived from a docket of 1,116 lifetime decisions. 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 Walsh'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 a 1-year tenure on the bench, Judge Walsh has maintained a consistent approval pattern across 1,116 lifetime decisions. The 84% lifetime rate reflects a high consistency in how evidence is weighed during hearings. While recent periods can fluctuate based on the complexity of cases or changes in medical evidence, the current pattern remains steady. This consistency helps in understanding the judge's approach to evaluating your disability claim.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Walsh'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 Walsh? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Bronx hearing office
The Bronx Hearing Office serves a large population across New York, managing a high volume of SSDI cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports a 59% latest approval rate, reflecting the diverse nature of claims processed in this region. You can expect a rigorous review process where your medical documentation is the primary factor in every decision. See the Bronx Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Bronx bench, lifetime approval rates range from 45% to 84%. Because of this variance, understanding the broader office environment is as important as looking at a single judge's history. You can find more information on the Bronx Hearing Office page.
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.