Approval rates
When evaluating your potential outcome, it is helpful to look at how a judge's history compares to broader benchmarks. Judge Zeidman’s lifetime approval rate of 45% is measured against the latest office-wide approval rate of 60% and the national average of 58%. These comparisons are based on a significant docket of 18,838 decisions, providing a stable statistical baseline. 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 Zeidman'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Zeidman has maintained a consistent approach to disability adjudication. His yearly approval trends show fluctuations, moving from a high of 68% in 2016 to more recent periods where rates have hovered between 39% and 47%. The latest reporting period shows an approval rate of 46%, which remains in line with his long-term career average. This pattern suggests a stable judicial philosophy that has persisted across his tenure in multiple hearing offices.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Zeidman'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 Zeidman? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Las Vegas hearing office
The Las Vegas Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants across Nevada, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a current office-wide approval rate of 60%, this location operates as a critical hub for regional SSDI claims. You can expect a formal process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony, regardless of the specific judge assigned to your hearing.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Las Vegas Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 35% to 68%. Because each judge manages their courtroom differently, understanding the office-wide environment is as important as looking at an individual judge's history.
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.