Approval rates
Understanding how your judge compares to regional and national benchmarks is a standard part of case preparation. Judge Belcher maintains a lifetime approval rate of 37%, calculated from a docket of 5,442 lifetime decisions. This data allows you to see how historical decision-making aligns with broader Social Security Administration trends. 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 Belcher'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 a three-year tenure, Judge Belcher's approval rate moved from 43% in 2016 to 30% in 2018. This pattern reflects a shift in outcomes over the course of 5,442 lifetime decisions. While recent data shows a lower approval frequency compared to the lifetime average, these fluctuations are common and can be influenced by changes in the types of cases assigned to the docket. The recent period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Belcher'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 Belcher? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Tulsa hearing office
The Tulsa Hearing Office serves a broad population across Oklahoma, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an overall approval rate of 64%. You can expect a formal administrative process governed by 20 CFR Part 404. You can visit the Tulsa 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 Tulsa Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 37% to 80%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is the most effective strategy. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.