Approval rates
Evaluating a judge's history requires looking at the broader context of their career. Judge Carr maintains a 32% lifetime approval rate, which is measured against the latest office-wide approval rate of 51% and a national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 12,597 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 Carr'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 10-year tenure, Judge Carr has seen fluctuations in his approval patterns. While his lifetime average stands at 32%, recent data from the latest reporting period shows an approval rate of 35%. The yearly trend indicates periods of higher activity followed by shifts in case volume, with the most recent data reflecting a return to his established historical baseline. This pattern suggests a consistent approach to the evidence presented in your courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Carr'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 Carr? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Nhc Falls Church hearing office
The NHC Falls Church hearing office serves a wide population across Virginia, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an active docket that requires efficient case management. You can expect a formal process focused on the medical documentation supporting your claim. You can visit the NHC Falls Church 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 the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the NHC Falls Church office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 32% to 69%. Because of this variance, it is important to focus on the strength of your medical evidence regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing. The guidance for your preparation remains consistent regardless of the judge assigned to your case.
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.