Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime performance against current office and national benchmarks provides a helpful perspective on the hearing environment. Judge Cartledge has presided over 20,641 lifetime decisions, a volume that offers a clear look at his historical decision-making. While his latest approval rate of 93% sits 4 points above the national average, these figures represent past outcomes rather than 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 Cartledge'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 decade on the bench, Judge Cartledge has seen his approval rates fluctuate, showing a notable upward trend in recent years. After a period of lower approval rates between 2018 and 2021, the data indicates a consistent rise, with the latest reporting period showing a 93% approval rate. This shift reflects a distinct phase in his judicial tenure compared to his earlier career averages.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Cartledge'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 Cartledge? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Miami hearing office
The Miami Hearing Office serves a large population across Florida, managing a high volume of disability claims. With 6 judges on the bench, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 67%. You should be prepared for a rigorous review of your medical and vocational evidence. You can find more information on the Miami Hearing Office page.
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. Across the Miami Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 31% to 83%. Because of this variance, understanding the broader office environment is as important as looking at any single judge.
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.