ALJ Research Resources
One of the most frustrating elements of the Social Security disability process has to do with the arbitrary approval rates among judges in the same hearing office. Judge A approves 85% of the cases he considers, while Judge B approves only 45%. This means that your likelihood of winning has about as much to do with blind luck as it does the merits of your case.
Social Security does release statistics about the approval rates of its Administrative Law Judges. This information is not in one place, but it is out there. Here are some places you can look to learn more about the judge assigned to your case:
Oregonian Database – covers years 2005, 2006 and 2007
Social Security ALJ database – covers 2009
Delaware Online Special Report – national database covering 2005-2008; sortable by State, hearing office and Judge
Approval Rates broken down by State
Thanks to my colleagues on the Social Security Disability Attorney LinkedIn Group
Comments on ALJ Research Resources
A great source for data on ALJ dispositions can be found here – http://www.ssa.gov/appeals/DataSets/03_ALJ_Disp.html – it is updated monthly and reliable as it comes directly from SS.