Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing process. Judge Smoke maintains a 58% lifetime approval rate across 4,839 lifetime decisions, which aligns with the national average. While her latest period shows a 65% approval rate, these figures fluctuate based on the specific evidence presented in each case. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for your individual hearing.
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 Smoke'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 her 3 years on the bench, Judge Smoke has seen a clear upward trend in her approval rates. Starting at 39% in 2023, the rate rose to 56% in 2024 and reached 67% in the most recent 2025 period. This shift suggests an evolving approach to case evaluation or a change in the complexity of the claims assigned to her. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern of increasing approval frequency.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Smoke'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 Smoke? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Alexandria hearing office
The Alexandria Hearing Office serves residents across Northern Virginia and surrounding regions. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of claims, maintaining an office-wide latest approval rate of 59%. You can expect a formal process focused on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can see the Alexandria Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Alexandria Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 32% to 66%. This variance highlights that while the judge matters, the strength of your medical evidence remains the primary factor in your outcome. You can find more information on the Alexandria 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.