Approval rates
Judge Crutchfield has issued 19,719 lifetime decisions. While the judge's latest approval rate is 3 points below the Tulsa office average of 64%, it remains 3 points above the national average of 58%. These figures reflect historical decision-making tendencies rather than the specific merits of your claim. You can review the Tulsa Hearing Office page for more information on local trends.
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 Crutchfield'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 a 6-year tenure, your judge's approval rate has shown a gradual upward trend. After starting at 61% in 2016, the rate saw a slight dip in 2018 before rising to 68% in the most recent reporting period. This pattern suggests an evolving approach to case evaluation that has become more favorable in recent years. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern of adjustment in response to case volume and evidence quality.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Crutchfield'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 Crutchfield? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Tulsa hearing office
The Tulsa Hearing Office serves a broad population across Oklahoma, managing a significant volume of SSDI claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an active docket that requires efficient case management. You can expect a formal administrative process focused on medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Tulsa 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Tulsa Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the office's 6 ALJs range from 38% to 81%. Because each judge has a unique perspective on evidence, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful. You can view the full office roster on the Tulsa 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.