Who decides cases at this office
The 7 judges at the Boston office show a moderate spread in their allowance rates, which range from 35% to 66%. This variation means that while the office average is 53%, your specific outcome can be influenced by the judge assigned to your case. Because cases are assigned randomly, you cannot choose your judge, making it essential to ensure your medical documentation is robust enough to meet the standards of any member of the panel.
| Rank | Judge | Approval Rate | Total Decisions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carol A. Sax | 75% | 13,868 | |
| 2 | Robert J. Kelly | 69% | 11,043 | |
| 3 | James H. Packer | 68% | 13,768 | |
| 4 | Francis Hurley | 65% | 21,104 | |
| 5 | Noran J. Camp | 64% | 3,523 | |
| 6 | Joel F. Gardiner | 63% | 1,143 | |
| 7 | Alexander Klibaner | 57% | 20,605 | |
| 8 | William T. Ross | 56% | 21,757 | |
| 9 | William Ramsey | 53% | 16,053 | |
| 10 | Daniel J. Driscoll | 50% | 16,365 | |
| 11 | Stephen C. Fulton | 47% | 15,916 | |
| 12 | Henry J. Hogan | 47% | 18,117 | |
| 13 | Sean Teehan | 38% | 21,510 | |
| 14 | Sujata Rodgers | 37% | 26,328 |
Heading to an ALJ hearing? Get a free case review to prepare for your hearing.
Free Benefits ReviewHow long you'll wait
At Boston, the average wait from hearing request to written decision is 9 months— versus a national average of 8 months. Here's how it's tracked month by month over the past 16 months.
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.
Going to your hearing
With a 9-month wait, you have a critical window to strengthen your file before you face an Administrative Law Judge. Your hearing will typically last about an hour, during which the judge may call a Vocational Expert to testify about your ability to perform work in the national economy. You must submit all updated medical records, a detailed medication list including side effects, and a daily-activity log well before the deadline. Because hearings at this office move through a panel of 7 judges, your evidence must be clear enough to stand on its own regardless of which judge is assigned. A decision is rarely issued on the spot; you will receive a written notice by mail after your appearance.
A 9-month wait is time you can use to pressure-test your medical record against the specific questions a Vocational Expert will likely raise. When a panel's allowance rates span over 30 points, your file must be strong enough that no judge can dismiss it on weak documentation. You can evaluate your current evidence and identify the gaps that often lead to denials at the hearing stage.
Field offices that route cases here
If your hearing is at Boston, your case originated at one of the SSA field offices below — the local intake counter where you (or a representative) filed the initial application. Field offices don't decide hearings, but they hold your file, issue benefit-payment notices, and field the day-to-day questions during your wait.