Approval rates
Judge Bentley maintains a lifetime approval rate of 46% based on 6,223 decisions. During the most recent reporting period, this rate was 5 percentage points below the Mcalester office average and 12 points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding the judge's history on the bench. 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 Bentley'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 3-year tenure, your judge's approval rates fluctuated between 42% and 48%. The data shows a rate of 44% in 2016, 48% in 2017, and 42% in 2018. This pattern suggests a consistent approach to case evaluation. Understanding these trends helps you prepare a case that addresses the evidentiary standards this judge has applied throughout their career.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Bentley'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 Bentley? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Mcalester hearing office
The Mcalester Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Oklahoma. It manages a significant volume of cases with a bench of 4 judges, maintaining an office-wide latest approval rate of 51%. You should be prepared for a formal administrative process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Mcalester 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 you cannot choose your judge. Within the Mcalester Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 4 judges range from 36% to 50%. This variance highlights why it is important to understand the tendencies of the judge assigned to your case. You can find more information on the Mcalester 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.