Approval rates
Judge Burke’s approval rate is evaluated against the Knoxville Hearing Office, state, and national benchmarks to provide context for your upcoming hearing. While the national average for recent periods sits at 58%, Judge Burke has consistently maintained a higher approval frequency. These figures are derived from 15,014 lifetime decisions, providing a robust sample size for analysis. 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 Burke'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 10-year tenure, Judge Burke has shown a generally stable decision pattern with periodic fluctuations. Starting with a 61% approval rate in 2016, the trend has seen years of growth, reaching as high as 76% in 2024. The most recent data shows a 72% approval rate, suggesting that the judge remains consistent with long-term performance. This trend reflects a steady approach to evaluating disability evidence over the course of thousands of hearings.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Burke'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 Burke? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Knoxville hearing office
The Knoxville Hearing Office serves a significant population across Tennessee, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where case outcomes can vary based on the specific evidence presented. You should expect a professional hearing process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can view the full ALJ roster on the Knoxville Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Knoxville Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 53% to 69%. Because each judge has a unique approach to evidence, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful. You can find more information on the Knoxville 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.