Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader benchmarks helps you understand the environment of your hearing. Judge Finnie maintains a lifetime approval rate of 42%, which trails the Franklin TN office average of 53% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 20,713 lifetime decisions accumulated over a decade of service. 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 Finnie'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Finnie has presided over 20,713 lifetime decisions. His yearly trend shows a period of stability followed by a dip in 2021 and 2022, before trending upward again in 2024 and 2025. The most recent reporting period shows an approval rate of 43%, which remains consistent with his long-term career trajectory. This pattern reflects his approach to evidence evaluation throughout his tenure.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Finnie'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 Finnie? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Franklin TN hearing office
The Franklin TN hearing office serves you and other claimants across the region, managing a high volume of cases with a team of 6 administrative law judges. The office currently maintains an approval rate of 53%, reflecting the local landscape of disability adjudication. You should expect a professional environment focused on the specific medical documentation provided in your file. You can see the Franklin TN Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. At the Franklin TN hearing office, the bench includes 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 42% to 63%. Because you cannot choose your judge, focus on the strength of your medical evidence. The guidance for your preparation remains consistent regardless of which judge is 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.