Approval rates
In the most recent reporting period, your judge maintained an approval rate 9 percentage points above the Bronx office average and 10 percentage points above the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 13,111 lifetime decisions accumulated over 9 years on the bench. Understanding how your judge compares to regional and national benchmarks is a useful step in your preparation. 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 Walters'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 9-year tenure, your judge's approval patterns have shown notable fluctuations, ranging from a high of 80% in 2020 to a low of 56% in 2021. The data indicates a dynamic trend rather than a static one, with recent years showing a return to higher approval levels compared to the 2021 dip. This variance often reflects changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of medical evidence presented. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Walters'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 Walters? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Bronx hearing office
The Bronx Hearing Office serves a large population across the New York region, managing a high volume of disability claims. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 59%, it operates as a critical hub for you to seek benefits. The office is staffed by a team of judges who handle thousands of cases annually, ensuring that each hearing is processed through established federal guidelines. You can see the Bronx 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 Bronx Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 43% to 68%. Because you cannot choose your judge, focusing on the strength of your medical documentation remains the most effective way to prepare. You can find more information on the office's general operations 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.