Approval rates
Judge Adkins maintains a lifetime approval rate of 55% based on 16,054 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate sits 3% below the national average of 58% and 15% below the current Dayton office average of 70%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for his tenure on the bench, though they do not predict the outcome of your specific hearing.
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 Adkins'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 8 years on the bench, your judge's approval rates have fluctuated, starting at 91% in 2017 and reaching a low of 40% in 2019 before trending to 59% in 2024. This pattern shows that while his decision-making has varied over time, recent activity reflects a stabilization in his approach to case evidence.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Adkins'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 Adkins? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Dayton hearing office
The Dayton Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Ohio with a bench of 6 judges. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 70%, this location manages a significant volume of disability claims. You can expect a formal hearing process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Dayton 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 Judge Adkins is essentially random. Across the Dayton office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 44% to 68%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the courtroom, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful for your 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.