Approval rates
Judge Werner has presided over 16,924 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, your approval rate reached 45%, compared to the Kansas City Hearing Office average of 54% and the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding historical decision-making. 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 Werner'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 9-year tenure, your approval rate has evolved from 39% in 2018 to 48% in 2025. After a period of relative stability between 2019 and 2023, where rates hovered between 31% and 36%, the last two years have shown an upward trend. This shift may reflect changes in the types of cases assigned or evolving evidentiary standards. The recent data suggests a departure from earlier, more conservative patterns.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Werner'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 Werner? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Kansas City hearing office
The Kansas City (Missouri) Hearing Office serves a broad population across the region, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a latest-period approval rate of 54%. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical records and vocational history. You can see the Kansas City 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 specific judge is determined by random selection. Across the Kansas City office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 28% to 61%. Because every judge operates with different preferences for evidence, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful. You can find more information on the Kansas City 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.