Approval rates
Judge Craven maintains a lifetime approval rate of 70% across 18,189 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, her approval rate reached 72%, which sits 5 percentage points above the Greenville office average and 14 points above the national average of 58%. This data is drawn from a significant docket size, providing a reliable look at her historical decision-making trends. These aggregate rates reflect past performance rather than a guarantee of your future outcome.
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 Craven'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
Throughout her 10-year career, Judge Craven has shown a consistent approach to disability claims. While her approval rate fluctuated between 61% and 66% from 2019 to 2022, recent years have seen an uptick, with an 84% approval rate in 2023 and a 74% rate in 2025. These trends provide insight into how she has historically evaluated evidence and vocational factors.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Craven'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 Craven? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Greenville hearing office
The Greenville Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across South Carolina and maintains a busy docket with 6 active judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 65%, which is higher than both the state and national averages. You can expect a professional environment focused on the specific medical and vocational evidence of your claim. You can see the Greenville Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Greenville bench, lifetime approval rates for the 6 judges range from 44% to 70%, highlighting that individual judicial philosophy varies within the same office. Regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing, the fundamental requirements for proving your disability remain the same.
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.