Approval rates
Judge Clady maintains a lifetime approval rate of 59% across 844 lifetime decisions. When looking at the most recent reporting period, his approval rate stands 4 points higher than the Phoenix North office average and 1 point higher than the national average. These figures provide a statistical baseline for his courtroom activity, though they do not predict the outcome of your specific case.
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 Clady'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
In his 2 years on the bench, Judge Clady has shown a shift in his approval trends. While his approval rate was 53% in 2023, data shows an uptick to 71% in 2024. This change suggests that his recent decision-making pattern has moved above his lifetime average. Such shifts often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented in the courtroom.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Clady'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 Clady? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Phoenix North hearing office
The Phoenix North Hearing Office serves you across Arizona, managing a volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 55%. You can expect a standard hearing process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can view the full ALJ roster on the Phoenix North Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Phoenix North office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 28% to 60%. This variance highlights why understanding the bench is a common part of hearing preparation. You can find more information on the office's general operations on the Phoenix North 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.