Approval rates
When evaluating your case, it is helpful to look at how a judge's approval rate compares to broader benchmarks. Judge Alexander has a lifetime approval rate of 52%, which currently trends 6 percentage points lower than both the state and national averages of 58%. These figures are derived from 5,752 lifetime decisions, providing a look at her historical decision-making. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for your individual 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 Alexander'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 her 3-year tenure, your judge has seen fluctuations in approval patterns. After an initial 63% approval rate in 2017, the data shows a shift to 45% in 2018, followed by a recovery to 55% in 2019. These shifts are common in administrative law and may reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented. This trend suggests a dynamic approach to case evaluation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Alexander'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 Alexander? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Nashville hearing office
The Nashville Hearing Office serves a broad population across Tennessee and the surrounding region. It maintains a busy docket with a bench of 6 judges who handle thousands of claims annually. The office currently reports an approval rate of 60%, reflecting the local environment for disability claims. You can visit the Nashville Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. At the Nashville Hearing Office, the bench is comprised of 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 48% to 73%. Because you cannot choose your judge, your focus should remain on building a robust evidentiary record. You can find more information on the Nashville Hearing Office page.
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.