Approval rates
Judge Denney maintains a lifetime approval rate of 41% based on 11,704 lifetime decisions. This figure sits below the latest Reno Hearing Office average of 60% and the national average of 58%. These statistics provide a high-level view of his tenure, but they are derived from a large volume of cases that vary in complexity and evidence. 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 Denney'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 7 years on the bench, Judge Denney has seen his approval rate fluctuate, moving from 41% in 2016 to a peak of 48% in 2020, before settling at 42% in 2022. This yearly trend indicates that while there is year-to-year variance, the overall pattern remains consistent. Recent data suggests that your case outcome remains tied to the specific medical evidence you present in your file.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Denney'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 Denney? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Reno hearing office
The Reno Hearing Office serves you and other applicants throughout Nevada, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 5 judges, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 60%. You can expect a professional environment where your medical records and vocational testimony are central to the hearing process. You can view the full ALJ roster on the Reno Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Across the Reno bench, lifetime approval rates for judges range from 27% to 56%. Because of this variance, understanding the broader office environment is as important as looking at a single judge's history. You can find more information on the local bench by visiting the Reno 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.