Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at consistent timeframes. The data below contrasts your judge's performance since 2017 against the broader bench at the Norwalk hearing office, as well as recent performance against office, state, and national averages. With 3,900 decisions on record, the data provides a stable view of past activity. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for your 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 Carberry'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 2017, your judge's approval rate has shown an upward trend. After starting at 41% in 2017, the rate increased to 63% in 2025 and 61% in 2026. This latest period reflects a shift from the long-term average of 50% as your judge's decision-making has evolved over the last several years.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Carberry'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 Norwalk hearing office
James Carberry's most recent office on record is the Norwalk hearing office, with decisions there through July 2026. This office serves you if you are in California. The office-wide approval rate in the latest reporting period was 67%. You can expect a standard administrative process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Norwalk
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your judge is assigned randomly. There are 7 judges whose most recent office on record is the Norwalk hearing office, and 4 of them decided cases here in the latest file through July 2026. Approval rates across this bench range from 50% to 78% on their records since 2017.
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
James Carberry has an approval rate of 50% across 3,900 decisions on record since 2017. This sits within the range of 50% to 78% observed among the 7 judges whose most recent office on record is the Norwalk hearing office. An attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this bench.
Yes, the approval rate has trended upward. While the rate on record since 2017 is 50%, your judge's approval rate reached 63% in 2025 and 61% in 2026. Understanding these trends can be part of your case strategy, and an attorney can help you evaluate how this might affect your claim.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases. Because assignment is random, it is important to be prepared for any judge, and an attorney can help you build a strong case regardless of who is assigned.
An approval rate is a probability based on past decisions, not a prediction for your specific hearing. Your outcome depends primarily on the medical evidence and vocational testimony presented in your file. An attorney can help you ensure your evidence is complete and effectively presented.
