Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and recent trends. Judge Adams maintains a 58% lifetime approval rate across 19,887 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, her 54% approval rate sits below the Fayetteville NC office average of 66%.
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 Adams'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 decade on the bench, the approval patterns for Judge Adams have shifted. After starting with high approval rates in her first two years, the data shows a gradual decline before stabilizing in recent years. Her latest period shows a 54% approval rate, reflecting the steady, moderate pattern observed since 2020.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Adams'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 Adams? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Fayetteville NC hearing office
The Fayetteville NC Hearing Office serves a broad population across North Carolina, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an overall approval rate of 66%. You can visit the Fayetteville NC Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Fayetteville NC office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges vary widely, ranging from 47% to 78%. This variance highlights why understanding the bench you are assigned to is a standard part of case preparation.
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.