Approval rates
Judge Deramus maintains a lifetime approval rate of 41% based on 10,052 lifetime decisions. When compared to the latest reporting period, the judge's approval rate is 18 percentage points lower than the Rio Grande Valley TX office average of 59% and 17 percentage points lower than the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical snapshot of the judge's history on the bench, rather than a prediction for your specific 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 Deramus'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 6 years on the bench, your judge's approval rate has fluctuated, moving from 43% in 2016 to 52% in 2017, then trending to 33% in 2020 and 42% in 2021. This pattern reflects a career marked by varying case outcomes across 10,052 lifetime decisions. The recent shift in the latest reporting period suggests a return toward the judge's historical average, which is often influenced by changes in case complexity or the specific evidence you present.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Deramus'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 Deramus? See if a free benefits review fits your case.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Rio Grande Valley TX hearing office
The Rio Grande Valley TX Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across the region, managing a significant volume of SSDI cases. With a bench of 3 judges, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 59%. You can expect a formal process focused on the medical and vocational evidence supporting your claim. You can visit the Rio Grande Valley TX Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Rio Grande Valley TX office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 41% to 67%. While you may be assigned to any of the 3 judges at this location, the fundamental requirements for proving your disability remain consistent.
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.