Approval rates
Judge Dawson has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 53% based on 11,517 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate sat 9 percentage points below the Denver Hearing Office average and 5 percentage points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for his tenure, but they are not a guarantee of how he will rule on your specific claim. 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 Dawson'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 4 years on the bench, your judge's approval rate has shown a steady pattern. After an initial approval rate of 54% in 2016, the data indicates a slight fluctuation before settling into a consistent range of 51% in recent years. This stability suggests a predictable approach to evaluating your disability evidence. The recent data reflects a continuation of this established pattern rather than a significant shift in judicial philosophy.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Dawson'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 Dawson? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Denver hearing office
The Denver Hearing Office serves a broad population across Colorado, managing a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 62%, which is higher than both the state average of 56% and the national average of 58%. You can expect a professional environment focused on the rigorous review of your medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Denver 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 Denver Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 45% to 62%. Because of this variance, you may wonder how your assigned judge compares to others. You can find more information on the Denver 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.