Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at consistent timeframes. While your judge's overall approval rate since 2016 is 34%, her latest-period approval rate is 42%. This latest figure sits 14 percentage points below the Kansas City Hearing Office's latest-period rate of 56%. These statistics are derived from a docket of 3,031 decisions on record since 2016. 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 Barnes-Williams'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
Since 2016, the approval rate for Janice E. Barnes-Williams has shown varied movement. After reaching 44% in 2018, the rate saw a decline in subsequent years before showing more recent fluctuations. The latest-period approval rate of 42% is higher than the long-term average of 34% recorded since 2016. This recent activity reflects a shift in the pattern of decisions compared to the mid-period lows.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Barnes-Williams'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 Kansas City hearing office
The Kansas City Hearing Office serves you across the region. With 17 judges whose most recent office on record is this location, the office maintains an office-wide latest-period approval rate of 56%. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on your medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Kansas City Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Kansas City
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your specific judge is essentially random. There are 17 judges whose most recent office on record is the Kansas City Hearing Office, 12 of whom decided cases here in the latest file through July 2026. Approval rates for this bench range from 33% to 77% based on records since 2016. Your preparation remains the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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
Judge Barnes-Williams has a latest-period approval rate of 42%, which is 14 percentage points lower than the Kansas City Hearing Office's latest-period average of 56%. Because case assignment is random, an attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of your hearing.
Yes, the approval rate has fluctuated over time. It started at 32% in 2016, peaked at 44% in 2018, and reached 42% in the most recent fiscal year to date. An attorney can help you understand how these patterns might relate to your specific case evidence.
No, you cannot choose your judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency. Regardless of your assignment, a qualified attorney can help you prepare your case for a hearing.
A hearing is a formal but non-adversarial proceeding where a judge reviews your medical records and hears your testimony. You may be questioned by the judge or a vocational expert about your ability to work. An attorney can help you prepare for these questions and organize your medical evidence.
An approval rate is a statistical summary of past decisions and does not predict the outcome of your specific hearing. Your case's success depends primarily on the quality of your medical evidence and how well it meets SSA criteria. An attorney can help you evaluate your case strengths.
