Approval rates
The 74% approval rate for William Andersen reflects all 3,241 decisions on record since 2016. This figure sits within the range of 27% to 74% seen among the 17 judges whose most recent office on record is Raleigh. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting the outcome of your specific hearing.
SSA has not published a latest-period approval, fully favorable or denial breakdown for Judge Andersen. The most recent period with decisions on record is September 26, 2025. Those rows are left out rather than estimated.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Andersen'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
The approval rate for William Andersen has fluctuated between 2016 and 2025. After starting with an 83% approval rate in 2016, the rate shifted to 59% in 2021 before reaching 80% in 2025. With 3,241 total decisions on record, these shifts reflect how case mix and evidentiary standards influence outcomes over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Andersen'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.
About the Raleigh hearing office
William Andersen's most recent office on record is the Raleigh hearing office, which serves you in North Carolina. This office is part of a regional network that handles a high volume of disability claims, with 17 judges whose most recent office on record is this location. You can expect a formal hearing process where your medical documentation and vocational evidence are central to the outcome.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Raleigh
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge assigned to your hearing is essentially random. There are 17 judges whose most recent office on record is the Raleigh hearing office, with approval rates ranging from 27% to 74% on their since-2016 records. Because each judge maintains their own approach to evaluating evidence, the specific judge you draw matters.
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
William Andersen has an approval rate of 74% on record since 2016. This is at the top of the range for the 17 judges whose most recent office on record is the Raleigh hearing office, where rates vary from 27% to 74%. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this bench.
Yes, the approval rate for William Andersen has shown variation over the 3,241 decisions on record. It moved from 83% in 2016 to a low of 59% in 2021, before reaching 80% in 2025. An attorney can help you understand how these trends might relate to your specific case evidence.
No, you cannot request a specific judge for your SSDI hearing. The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases randomly to ensure efficiency. An attorney can help you prepare a strong case regardless of which judge is assigned.
The 74% approval rate for William Andersen is a historical average based on 3,241 decisions since 2016, not a guarantee of your outcome. Your success depends primarily on the quality of your medical evidence and how it meets the SSA's disability criteria. An attorney can help you ensure your file is complete before your hearing.
