Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. While the national and state approval rates currently hover around 58%, Judge Ferguson's recent approval rate is 46%. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 16,110 lifetime decisions, offering a reliable look at his historical decision-making. 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 Ferguson'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 8 years on the bench, Judge Ferguson has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. His approval rate saw a peak in 2018 at 72% before adjusting to a more moderate range in subsequent years. Recent data shows a rate of 46%, which remains in line with his long-term career average. This trend suggests a steady judicial philosophy that has persisted across his tenure in both Orlando and Savannah offices.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Ferguson'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 Ferguson? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Savannah hearing office
The Savannah Hearing Office serves a significant population across Georgia, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where you present evidence to determine your eligibility for benefits. The office currently reports an approval rate of 52%. You can see the Savannah 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Savannah Hearing Office, individual lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 37% to 73%. This variance highlights why understanding the general environment of your hearing office is useful. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
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.