Approval rates
Judge Yerkey's approval rate of 67% in the latest reporting period stands 16 percentage points above the current Long Beach Hearing Office average of 52%. This comparison is based on a significant volume of cases, providing a stable look at his decision-making 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 Yerkey'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 4 years on the bench, Judge Yerkey has maintained a consistent approval pattern. His annual approval rates have remained steady, hovering between 67% and 69% in recent years. This stability suggests a predictable approach to evaluating your disability claim. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, which remains well above both state and national benchmarks.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Yerkey'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 Yerkey? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Long Beach hearing office
The Long Beach Hearing Office serves a large population in Southern California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a diverse range of decision outcomes. You can expect a professional environment focused on the specific medical and vocational facts of your case. You can see the Long Beach 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 your assignment is essentially random. Within the Long Beach Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 29% to 72%. This variance highlights why focusing on your own medical evidence is the most effective way to prepare. 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.