Approval rates
Evaluating a judge's approval rate requires looking at both long-term trends and recent performance. While Judge Brown has a 41% approval rate since 2016, her latest-period rate is 53%. These figures are best understood by comparing them to the broader bench at the San Antonio office, where approval rates range from 18% to 70% for judges with similar records.
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 Brown'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
Since 2016, your judge's approval rate has shown notable fluctuation. After a period of lower approval rates between 2018 and 2020, the data shows an upward trend in recent years. The latest reporting period reflects a continuation of this pattern, with an approval rate of 53% compared to the 41% average observed since 2016.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Brown'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.
About the San Antonio hearing office
Katherine W. Brown's most recent office on record is the San Antonio hearing office, with decisions there through July 2026. This office serves you and other claimants across the region and maintains a bench of 23 judges. The office-wide approval rate in the latest period was 52%, providing a benchmark for local hearing outcomes.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is San Antonio
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. At the San Antonio office, there are 23 judges whose most recent office on record is this one, 17 of whom decided cases in the latest SSA file. Approval rates across this bench vary significantly, ranging from 18% to 70% since 2016.
Approval rates change 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.
Frequently asked questions
Judge Brown's 41% approval rate since 2016 sits within the 18% to 70% range observed among the 23 judges at the San Antonio office. Because case assignment is random, an attorney can help you prepare for the specific evidentiary standards of this bench.
Yes, the data shows a trend of increasing approval rates in recent years. While her approval rate since 2016 is 41%, her latest-period rate reached 53%. An attorney can help you understand how these trends might relate to your specific case.
No. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency. You cannot choose your judge, but an attorney can help you prepare your case regardless of who is assigned.
An SSDI hearing is a non-adversarial proceeding where a judge reviews your medical evidence and testimony. Having legal representation ensures your medical records are properly presented to meet the judge's requirements, and an attorney can help you.
Approval rates are statistical snapshots of past decisions and do not predict the outcome of your specific hearing. Your case's success depends primarily on the quality of your medical evidence, which an attorney can help you organize.
