Approval rates
Judge Farris maintains a lifetime approval rate of 51% based on 9,883 decisions. In the most recent reporting period, her approval rate sat 4% below the Albuquerque office average and 7% below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a high-level view of how her courtroom has historically functioned. 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 Farris'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 5 years on the bench, your judge has seen fluctuations in annual approval rates. After an initial 53% approval rate in 2016, the data shows a peak of 60% in 2017 before trending to 50% in 2018, 43% in 2019, and 49% in 2020. This pattern reflects the evolving nature of the cases assigned to her courtroom. The recent data suggests a period of relative stabilization following the volatility observed in the middle of her tenure.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Farris'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 Farris? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Albuquerque hearing office
The Albuquerque Hearing Office serves you throughout New Mexico, managing a high volume of cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 55%, reflecting the local administrative environment. You can expect a standard hearing process focused on medical evidence and vocational testimony. See the Albuquerque Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Across the Albuquerque Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 41% to 61%. While these differences exist, the core requirements for proving your disability remain consistent regardless of who presides over your hearing. You can find more information on the Albuquerque 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.