Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Fow maintains a lifetime approval rate of 53%, which sits 3 percentage points below the current Phoenix office average and 5 points below the national average. These figures are derived from a docket of 1,343 lifetime decisions, offering a clear view of her historical decision-making.
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 Fow'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 tenure, Judge Fow has maintained a consistent approach to disability claims. With 1,343 lifetime decisions recorded during her 1 year on the bench, the data shows a steady pattern of adjudication. The approval rate of 53% reflects a focused evaluation of the evidence you present in your case.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Fow'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 Fow? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Phoenix hearing office
The Phoenix Hearing Office serves a large population of claimants across the region, managing a high volume of SSDI cases with a bench of 6 judges. The office currently reports an approval rate of 56%, reflecting the local environment for disability claims. You can visit the Phoenix 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 Phoenix office, lifetime approval rates across the bench range from 36% to 78%. Because you cannot choose your judge, it is vital to focus on the strength of your medical evidence and testimony.
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.