Approval rates
Judge Davis maintains a lifetime approval rate of 35%, calculated from 7,121 lifetime decisions rendered during his tenure. When compared to the latest reporting period, his approval rate sits 30 percentage points below the Dallas North office average of 65% and 23 percentage points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding the historical decision-making environment. 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 Davis'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 his 3 years on the bench, the approval rate for Judge Davis has remained relatively consistent. Following an initial approval rate of 37% in 2016, the data shows 33% in 2017 and 34% in 2018. This pattern suggests a stable approach to case evaluation throughout his tenure. The recent data reflects a continuation of this steady pattern, indicating that his decision-making process has not undergone significant shifts in recent reporting periods.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Davis'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 Davis? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Dallas North hearing office
The Dallas North Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants across the region, managing a high volume of disability cases. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 65%, this location functions as a critical hub for the Social Security Administration in Texas. You can expect a structured environment where the quality of your medical documentation is the primary driver of success. You can find more information on the Dallas North Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Dallas North Hearing Office, the bench is comprised of 6 judges who exhibit a wide range of lifetime approval rates, spanning from 35% to 80%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is vital to focus on the strength of your own medical evidence. 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.