Approval rates
Judge Wascher maintains a lifetime approval rate of 58% based on 11,518 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate sits at the national average of 58%, which is 4 percentage points lower than the current Denver office average of 62%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding the judge's 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 Wascher'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 8-year tenure, Judge Wascher has navigated a variety of caseloads, with yearly approval rates fluctuating between 53% and 63%. The trend shows a steady approach to disability adjudication. While the most recent data shows a slight dip compared to his peak years, his overall career output remains consistent with his long-term average. This pattern suggests a judge who applies a stable evidentiary standard to the cases before him.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Wascher'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 Wascher? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Denver hearing office
The Denver Hearing Office serves a broad population across Colorado and the surrounding region. It is one of the primary hubs for disability adjudication in the area, managing a high volume of cases with a dedicated team of ALJs. The office currently maintains an office-wide approval rate of 62%. You can visit the Denver Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the assignment is random. Within the Denver Hearing Office, the bench consists of 6 judges whose lifetime approval rates range from 45% to 62%. Because you cannot choose your judge, you should focus on the strength of your medical evidence. 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.