Approval rates
Judge Bryant's lifetime approval rate of 59% provides a baseline for understanding his decision history over the last 8 years. When compared to the most recent reporting period, his performance aligns with the Washington Hearing Office average of 61%. These figures are derived from a docket of 11,448 lifetime decisions. 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 Bryant'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 his 8-year tenure, Judge Bryant has navigated a fluctuating caseload. His approval rate remained steady through the middle of his career before rising in 2022 and 2023, reaching an 80% approval rate in the most recent partial year. These shifts often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of medical evidence presented during your hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Bryant'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 Bryant? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Washington hearing office
The Washington (District of Columbia) Hearing Office manages a high volume of SSDI claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 61%, which is slightly higher than the national average. You should expect a formal process focused on the medical and vocational evidence supporting your disability claim. You can visit the Washington (District of Columbia) Hearing Office page for more information.
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 Washington Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 33% to 59%. The fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent across all courtrooms, 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.