Approval rates
Judge Barker maintains a lifetime approval rate of 48% based on 11,064 total decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate was 1 percentage point below the NHC Baltimore office average and 10 percentage points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for the judge's history on the bench.
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 Barker Jr.'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 7 years on the bench, your judge's approval rate has shown fluctuations. After starting at 58% in 2017, the rate trended to 46% in 2019 and 45% in 2020 before beginning a recovery. The most recent data shows 59% in 2023. This trend reflects changes in the cases assigned to the judge over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Barker Jr.'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 Barker? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Nhc Baltimore hearing office
The NHC Baltimore hearing office serves you throughout the Maryland region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of disability claims to ensure timely processing. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 49%.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning you cannot choose your judge. Within the NHC Baltimore office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 46% to 81%. This variance highlights why your specific evidence is the most important factor in your claim.
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.