Approval rates
Judge Boyle maintains a lifetime approval rate of 50%, a figure derived from 12,934 decisions across his tenure. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate of 49% trailed the Houston-Bissonnet office average of 56% by 6 percentage points and the national average of 58% by 8 percentage points. This data provides a statistical baseline for your hearing preparation.
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 Boyle'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 8 years on the bench, Judge Boyle has demonstrated a consistent decision-making pattern. While his annual approval rates have fluctuated—ranging from a low of 44% in 2019 to a high of 55% in 2023—the overall trend remains steady. The latest period's 49% approval rate is closely aligned with his long-term career average. This consistency suggests a stable approach to evaluating evidence and medical documentation.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Boyle'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 scheduled?
About the Houston-Bissonnet hearing office
The Houston-Bissonnet Hearing Office serves a large population of applicants across the region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases to address the needs of local residents. The office-wide latest approval rate is 56%, reflecting the broader environment in which your hearing occurs. You can visit the Houston-Bissonnet Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to Judge Boyle is essentially random. Across the Houston-Bissonnet bench, the 6 ALJs have lifetime approval rates ranging from 44% to 72%. While these differences exist, the core requirements for proving disability remain constant.
Your odds change dramatically 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.