Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Wisz maintains a lifetime approval rate of 54%, which we evaluate against the latest Raleigh Hearing Office average of 62% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 20,290 lifetime decisions, offering a reliable statistical baseline.
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 Wisz'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 her 10 years on the bench, Judge Wisz has shown a dynamic decision pattern. While her approval rate fluctuated between 2018 and 2021, recent years show an upward trend, with the latest reporting period reaching 62%. This shift indicates that recent case outcomes have trended higher than her long-term average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Wisz'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 Wisz? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Raleigh hearing office
The Raleigh Hearing Office serves a large population across North Carolina, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 62%. You can expect a professional hearing process focused on the documentation of your impairments.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Raleigh bench, lifetime approval rates for the 6 judges range from 40% to 69%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is the most effective strategy.
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.