Approval rates
Judge Carter's approval performance is measured against the Savannah Hearing Office and national benchmarks to provide context for your upcoming hearing. In the latest reporting period, this judge maintained an approval rate 16 points higher than the office average and 10 points above the national average. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 12,998 lifetime decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Carter'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 6-year tenure, Judge Carter has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability adjudication. The yearly trend shows an initial approval rate of 55% in 2016, which climbed to a peak of 77% in 2020 before adjusting to 68% in 2021. This pattern suggests a stable decision-making process that remains well above the regional and national norms. The recent data reflects a continuation of this steady pattern throughout the judge's career.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Carter'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 Carter? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Savannah hearing office
The Savannah Hearing Office serves a large population across Georgia, managing a high volume of disability claims with a bench of 6 judges. You will likely encounter a variety of case types, with the office-wide latest approval rate currently at 52%. Understanding the local environment is a key step in your preparation process. You can see the Savannah Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Savannah bench, the 6 ALJs range from 37% to 73% in lifetime approval rates, highlighting the importance of being prepared for any outcome. Regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing, the fundamental requirements for proving your disability remain the same. You can view the full roster of judges at the Savannah 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.