Approval rates
Judge Cravens has presided over 20,243 lifetime decisions during his 10-year tenure. His latest reporting period shows an approval rate of 75%, which compares favorably to the national average of 58% and the state average of 67%. While his current rate is slightly below the Oklahoma City office average of 73%, the volume of his docket provides a stable statistical baseline.
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 Cravens'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 the past decade, your judge's approval rate has fluctuated, showing a peak of 77% in 2022 before an adjustment in 2023 and 2024. The most recent data from 2025 indicates a return to a 75% approval rate. These shifts often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented during hearings.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Cravens'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 Cravens? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Oklahoma City hearing office
The Oklahoma City Hearing Office serves a broad population across Oklahoma, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an active docket and a latest approval rate of 73%. You can expect a formal process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Oklahoma City Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 43% to 79%. This variance highlights why understanding the judicial environment is a standard part of your case 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.