Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides helpful context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Edwards maintains a 61% lifetime approval rate, which we evaluate against the latest Baltimore office average of 66% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 15,041 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of her judicial history. Please remember that these 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 Edwards'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 her 8 years on the bench, Judge Edwards has demonstrated a varied decision pattern. Her approval rates fluctuated throughout her tenure, showing a rise to 71% in 2022 before a shift in the most recent reporting period. With 15,041 lifetime decisions, her record reflects a long-term commitment to the hearing process. It is important to note that the lifetime average reflects the docket as a whole, not a prediction for your individual hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Edwards'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.
Have a hearing with Judge Edwards? A free benefit check tells you if you qualify.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Baltimore hearing office
The Baltimore Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Maryland and the surrounding region. This office manages a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges, maintaining an office-wide latest approval rate of 66%. You can expect a formal environment where medical evidence and vocational testimony are central to the proceedings.
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.