Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks offers insight into the local hearing environment. Judge York maintains a lifetime approval rate of 68%, which stands notably higher than the 52% average seen across the Lexington office and the 58% national benchmark. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 7,414 lifetime decisions, providing a stable data set for analysis. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 York'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 a 3-year tenure, Judge York has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. The yearly trend shows an approval rate that fluctuated between 63% and 75% before settling at 64% in the most recent reporting period. This pattern suggests a stable decision-making philosophy that remains well above local and national averages. The recent data reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, indicating that the judge's approach to evidence remains predictable for those preparing for a hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge York'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 York? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Lexington hearing office
The Lexington Hearing Office serves you across Kentucky, managing a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an average approval rate of 52%, reflecting the broader regional trends in disability adjudication. You can expect a formal process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Lexington 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Lexington office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 46% to 68%. This variation highlights why understanding the local landscape is useful, even though the core requirements for proving disability remain consistent. 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.