Approval rates
Judge Carpenter maintains a lifetime approval rate of 55% based on 21,103 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, her approval rate was 56%, which is 3 percentage points lower than the Morgantown office average and 3 percentage points below the national average. This data is derived from a significant docket, providing a clear view of her historical decision-making. 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 Carpenter'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 her 10 years on the bench, your judge has seen fluctuations in approval rates, ranging from a low of 49% in 2019 and 2020 to a high of 65% in 2024. Her decision pattern shows a period of relative stability followed by a notable increase in approvals during 2024, before returning to 57% in 2025. This trend suggests that while her baseline is consistent, recent case outcomes have varied. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Carpenter'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 Carpenter? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Morgantown hearing office
The Morgantown Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across West Virginia and surrounding areas. It is staffed by 6 judges who manage a high volume of disability claims. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 58%. You can expect a professional environment where evidence quality is the primary driver of success. See the Morgantown Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
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 Morgantown office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 49% to 66%. Because of this variance, the specific judge you draw can influence the context of your hearing. You can find more information on the Morgantown 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.