Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing process. While the national average approval rate currently sits at 58%, Judge Dixon's lifetime rate of 53% reflects a decade of decision-making. These figures are derived from 22,557 lifetime decisions, offering a statistically significant look at how cases have been resolved. 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 Dixon'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Dixon has maintained a varied approval pattern. After starting with a 49% approval rate in 2016, the annual figures have fluctuated, reaching a low of 43% in 2019 before trending upward to 65% in the most recent reporting period. This recent uptick suggests a shift in the types of cases or evidence presented. The latest period reflects a departure from the long-term lifetime average, indicating that the judge's current approach is more favorable than in previous years.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Dixon'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 Dixon? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Knoxville hearing office
The Knoxville Hearing Office serves you and other claimants throughout Tennessee and the surrounding region. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases to meet regional demand. The office-wide latest approval rate is 56%, which provides a baseline for the local judicial environment. You can view the full ALJ roster on the Knoxville Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Knoxville Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 13% to 67%. Because of this variance, understanding the office environment is helpful for your preparation. You can find more information on the local bench by visiting the Knoxville 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.