Approval rates
The approval rate for Judge Dawkins is calculated from 21,458 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate reached 57%, which tracks 10 percentage points below the current office and national averages of 58%. These figures offer a window into his judicial approach compared to the broader SSA landscape. 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 Dawkins'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Dawkins has maintained a varied approval pattern. While his lifetime rate stands at 48%, yearly data shows shifts, including a 58% approval rate in 2020 followed by a period of lower rates. The most recent data indicates a 54% approval rate in 2025, suggesting a shift in his recent decision-making. These fluctuations often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Dawkins'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 Dawkins? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Tampa hearing office
The Tampa Hearing Office serves a significant volume of claimants throughout the region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high caseload to ensure timely processing of disability appeals. The office-wide latest approval rate currently sits at 58%, reflecting the general environment for hearings in this location.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to Judge Dawkins is essentially random. Across the Tampa Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 48% to 70%. This variance highlights why the specific judge assigned to your case can influence the process. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent 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.