Approval rates
Thomas Cheffins has maintained a consistent approach over his 10 years on the bench. When comparing his latest approval rate of 30% to the Little Rock office average of 41% and the national average of 58%, it is clear that your medical documentation must be thorough. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 28,243 lifetime decisions, providing a stable view of his judicial history. 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 Cheffins'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, Thomas Cheffins has shown a steady decision pattern. While his annual approval rates have fluctuated, the data shows a consistent approach to evaluating your disability claim. The most recent reporting period shows an approval rate of 30%, which aligns closely with his long-term historical average. This stability suggests that his methodology for weighing evidence remains predictable for you as you prepare for your hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Cheffins'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 Cheffins? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Little Rock hearing office
The Little Rock Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Arkansas, managing a high volume of cases with a team of administrative law judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 41%, which reflects regional trends in disability adjudication. You can expect a formal hearing process where the focus remains on the medical and vocational evidence presented in your file. You can visit the Little Rock Hearing Office page for more information on the local bench.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Little Rock Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 27% to 52%. Because case assignment is outside of your control, focusing on the strength of your own medical evidence is the most effective way to prepare. The guidance for your case remains the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.