Approval rates
Judge Wang maintains a lifetime approval rate of 49% over 17,261 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, he recorded an approval rate of 53%, which is 4 percentage points below the Columbus Hearing Office average of 57% and 5 points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a historical baseline for his bench activity. 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 Wang'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 decade on the bench, Judge Wang has seen fluctuations in approval patterns. His data shows a peak in 2020 at 65%, followed by a period of stabilization near the 53% to 61% range in recent years. This trajectory reflects a shift toward a more moderate approval trend. Understanding these shifts helps you contextualize how your case might be evaluated.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Wang'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 Wang? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Columbus hearing office
The Columbus (Ohio) Hearing Office serves a large population and maintains a bench of 6 judges. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 57%, the facility handles a high volume of cases requiring meticulous preparation of medical and vocational evidence. You can expect a formal environment where clear, documented proof of disability remains the primary factor in a favorable decision. You can visit the Columbus (Ohio) 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 Judge Wang is essentially random. Within the Columbus Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 49% to 68%. Because this variance exists, you should focus on the strength of your medical documentation regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing.
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.