Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks helps you understand the environment of your hearing. Judge Dail's lifetime rate of 61% is measured against the latest Shreveport Hearing Office average of 65% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from 5,275 lifetime decisions, providing a look at past performance. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Dail'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 4 years on the bench, Judge Dail has maintained a steady approval pattern. The data shows consistent activity, with a 63% approval rate in the most recent reporting period. This stability suggests a predictable approach to case evaluation. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, indicating that the judge's decision-making process remains consistent with their career-long average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Dail'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 Dail? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Shreveport hearing office
The Shreveport Hearing Office serves a broad region of claimants in Louisiana, managing a volume of disability cases. With 6 judges on the bench, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 65%. You can expect a professional environment focused on the review of medical and vocational evidence. You can visit the Shreveport 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. Within the Shreveport Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 42% to 79%. This variance highlights why focusing on your own medical evidence is more important than the specific judge assigned. For preparation purposes, the guidance is 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.