Approval rates
Judge Beatty has issued 26,485 lifetime decisions over his 10-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate was 49%, compared to the 55% average at the Akron OH Hearing Office and the 58% national average. These statistics are based on a large volume of cases, 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 Beatty'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 the past decade, your judge's approval rate has shown a gradual upward trend. Starting at 38% in 2016, the rate has increased to 51% in 2025. This progression reflects a consistent approach to evaluating disability claims over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Beatty'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 Beatty? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Akron OH hearing office
The Akron OH Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Ohio, managing a high volume of disability cases with a bench of 6 administrative law judges. The office maintains a latest approval rate of 55%, which is slightly below the national average. You can expect a standard hearing process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Akron OH Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates for the 6 ALJs range from 44% to 60%. Because of this variance, focus on the strength of your medical evidence regardless of the specific judge assigned to your case.
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.