Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and their most recent activity. While Judge Barnett has a lifetime approval rate of 39%, his latest reporting period shows a 50% approval rate. This data is drawn from a substantial docket of 21,522 lifetime decisions, providing a stable view of his decision-making history. 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 Barnett'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Barnett has seen his approval rates fluctuate, starting at 38% in 2016 and reaching 53% in 2025. This trend indicates a shift toward higher approval rates in recent years, diverging from his earlier patterns. The latest period reflects a continuation of this upward trend. These patterns help you understand the historical context of his courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Barnett'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 Barnett? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the San Antonio hearing office
The San Antonio Hearing Office serves a large population across Texas, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. The office maintains a latest approval rate of 52%, which provides a baseline for the region. You can expect a professional environment focused on evaluating medical and vocational evidence. You can see the San Antonio 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 a specific judge is essentially random. Within the San Antonio Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 39% to 51%. Because of this variance, knowing the tendencies of the office as a whole is helpful. You can find more information on the San Antonio 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.