Approval rates
Judge Young maintains a lifetime approval rate of 73% based on 6,126 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, this judge's approval rate outperformed the office average by 11 percentage points and the national average by 15 percentage points. These figures are derived from a significant volume of cases, providing a stable look at historical trends. You can find more information on the Fresno Hearing Office page.
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 Young'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 5-year tenure, Judge Young has demonstrated a steady approach to disability adjudication. While approval rates fluctuated between 67% and 77% during the 2016-2020 period, the overall trend remains robust. The most recent data indicates a high level of consistency, with the judge's approval rate remaining well above regional and national benchmarks. This pattern suggests a stable judicial philosophy that has persisted throughout your time on the bench.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Young'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 Young? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Fresno hearing office
The Fresno Hearing Office serves a large population across California, managing a high volume of SSDI claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where caseloads are distributed to ensure efficiency. You can expect a professional hearing process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can see the Fresno Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your specific judge is assigned randomly. At the Fresno Hearing Office, the bench features a range of approval rates, spanning from 37% to 73% across the office's 6 judges. Because of this variance, understanding the office-wide environment is as important as knowing your specific judge's history. You can review the full office roster on the Fresno 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.