Approval rates
Over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, Michael K. Dennard's 58% approval rate compares to the Savannah office average of 54%, the Georgia state average of 57%, and the national average of 58%.
SSA publishes no office- or national-level breakdown of fully favorable and denial rates. The 12 months are SSA's figures for this fiscal year to date plus the rest of the previous fiscal year; how we calculate them.
Approval rate over time
Year-over-year approval rate across Judge Dennard'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
Since October 2016, Michael K. Dennard has issued 3,679 decisions on record. The yearly approval trend shows rates moving from 55% in 2017 to 42% in 2020, before reaching 57% in 2026. The 58% approval rate recorded over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, is higher than the 51% approval rate recorded across the entire record since 2016.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Dennard'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.
About the Savannah hearing office
The Savannah office is the most recent office on record for Michael K. Dennard, with his last recorded decision there in July 2026. This office maintained a 54% approval rate over the 12 months to July 31, 2026.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Savannah
The 5 judges who decided cases at the Savannah office in SSA's latest file range from 38% to 66% in their approval rates over the 12 months to July 31, 2026.
Judges with similar approval rates
These active judges' approval rates over the same 12 months (July 26, 2025 – July 31, 2026) are closest to Judge Dennard's 58%. All five last decided cases in Georgia.
- 57% Approval rate, last 12 months Joseph Bestul
- 59% Approval rate, last 12 months Raymond M. Lykins
- 60% Approval rate, last 12 months David Cornelius
- 61% Approval rate, last 12 months Todd S. Colarusso
- 61% Approval rate, last 12 months L. Ellis Davis
Rates within 5 points of each other are hard to tell apart at a typical caseload, so treat these as judges with comparable records, not a ranking. See Judge Dennard and the three closest side by side →
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Over the 12 months to July 31, 2026, Michael K. Dennard's 58% approval rate is within the range of the 5 judges who decided cases at the Savannah office in SSA's latest file, who vary from 38% to 66%. An attorney can help you understand how these local variations might impact your specific hearing strategy.
Michael K. Dennard's approval rate has shifted over time, moving from 55% in 2017 to 58% over the 12 months to July 31, 2026. While the overall record since 2016 stands at 51%, recent data indicates a higher frequency of approvals. An attorney can help you prepare your case regardless of these historical trends.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration uses an automated workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases to judges, ensuring that assignments remain random. An attorney can help you prepare for the hearing process regardless of which judge is assigned to your case.
An approval rate is a statistical summary of past decisions and does not predict the outcome of your specific hearing. Your success depends primarily on the medical evidence and documentation you provide to support your claim. An attorney can help you ensure your evidence is organized and presented effectively for your hearing.
