Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader trends provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Butler maintains a lifetime approval rate of 40% over 751 lifetime decisions. This is compared against the latest office approval rate of 68%, the state rate of 59%, and the national average of 58%. These figures offer a statistical baseline for the Fort Myers FL office, though aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than 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 Butler'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 two-year tenure, your judge has shown a shift in approval patterns. Starting with a 34% approval rate in 2016, the rate rose to 50% in 2017. This trend indicates a change in the volume of allowances granted as the judge gained experience on the bench. Such fluctuations are common and may reflect changes in the types of cases heard or the quality of evidence presented. The recent uptick suggests a departure from earlier decision-making patterns.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Butler'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 Butler? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Fort Myers FL hearing office
The Fort Myers FL Hearing Office serves a broad population across Florida, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 5 judges, the office maintains an overall approval rate that reflects the diverse nature of the cases processed in this region. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on your medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Fort Myers FL 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 judge is selected randomly. Within the Fort Myers FL office, lifetime approval rates among the 5 judges range from 40% to 70%. This variance highlights that the specific judge assigned to your case is a significant variable in the hearing process. You can find more information on the Fort Myers FL 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.