Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime performance to current benchmarks provides context for your hearing. While the national average approval rate currently sits at 58%, Judge Carvalho has maintained a 52% approval rate during the latest reporting period. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 23,767 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 Carvalho'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Carvalho has demonstrated a varied decision pattern. While the lifetime approval rate is 51%, recent years have shown fluctuations, including a peak in 2024. The latest data indicates a 53% approval rate, suggesting a continuation of a steady, long-term trend. This pattern reflects the judge's consistent approach to evaluating evidence over a decade of service.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Carvalho'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 Carvalho? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Fort Worth hearing office
The Fort Worth Hearing Office serves a large population across North Texas, managing a high volume of disability claims. With 6 judges on the bench, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 55%. You can expect a professional environment where evidence quality and medical documentation are the primary drivers of your case outcome. You can see the Fort Worth 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. Across the Fort Worth Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 30% to 51%. Because of this variance, understanding the local landscape is a standard part of your hearing preparation.
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.