Approval rates
Comparing a judge's lifetime performance against recent benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Fleming currently holds a 74% approval rate in the latest reporting period, which is 3 points above the national average of 58%. With a decade of experience and 17,971 decisions, these figures offer a view of his judicial history. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Fleming'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-year tenure, Judge Fleming has seen his approval rates fluctuate, moving from 46% in 2016 to 74% in 2025. This trend indicates a shift in decision-making that has moved upward following a period of relative stability between 2021 and 2023. Such patterns often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of evidence presented in the Columbia SC jurisdiction. The recent uptick suggests a current phase of higher allowance rates compared to his long-term average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Fleming'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 Fleming? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Columbia SC hearing office
The Columbia SC Hearing Office serves a significant population across South Carolina, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate that reflects the regional caseload. You can expect a formal process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can see the Columbia SC 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. Within the Columbia SC Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 51% to 61%. While these differences exist, the core requirements for proving disability remain consistent across all courtrooms. You can review the office's overall performance trends to understand the local environment.
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.