Approval rates
Judge Wing has presided over 19,217 lifetime decisions during his decade on the bench. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate reached 49%, which compares to a 46% average for the Wilkes Barre Hearing Office and a 58% national average. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding how cases have historically been resolved in his courtroom.
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 Wing'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 10-year tenure, your judge's approval rate has shown fluctuations, ranging from a high of 60% in 2021 to a low of 41% in 2023. His lifetime approval rate of 51% reflects a career-long balance between allowances and denials. While the most recent data shows a recovery to 50% in 2025, the trend remains varied. This pattern suggests that your case outcome depends on the specific evidence you present.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Wing'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 scheduled?
About the Wilkes Barre hearing office
The Wilkes Barre Hearing Office serves a broad region in Pennsylvania, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office processes thousands of hearings annually. The office-wide latest approval rate currently stands at 46%, reflecting the complex nature of the cases heard in this jurisdiction.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Wilkes Barre office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 29% to 59%. Because you cannot choose your judge, your focus should remain on building a robust medical record.
Your odds change dramatically with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.