Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks helps provide context for your upcoming hearing. While the national average approval rate currently sits at 58%, Judge Yokus has maintained a lifetime rate of 30% over 16,046 decisions. This data is derived from years of public reporting, offering a look at how cases have been decided in this courtroom. 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 Yokus'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 9 years on the bench, the approval rate for Judge Yokus has shown a varied trajectory. After an initial period of higher approval rates in 2017, the data shows a gradual decline through 2023, followed by a recent stabilization at 28% in 2024 and 2025. This pattern suggests a consistent approach to case evaluation in recent years. These trends reflect the judge's long-term decision-making habits rather than any single case outcome.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Yokus'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 Yokus? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Omaha hearing office
The Omaha Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Nebraska and the surrounding region. It is staffed by 6 judges who manage a high volume of disability claims. The office currently reports an approval rate of 51%, which provides a local baseline for understanding how hearings are conducted in this jurisdiction. You can see the Omaha Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Omaha Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 30% to 78%. Because you cannot choose your judge, focusing on the strength of your medical evidence remains the most effective way to prepare. You can find more information on the Omaha 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.