Approval rates
When reviewing your hearing prospects, it is helpful to compare a judge's performance against broader benchmarks. Judge Francis maintains a lifetime approval rate of 13%, which differs from the latest 56% approval rate seen across the Knoxville Hearing Office and the 58% national average. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 15,106 lifetime decisions, providing a stable view of historical trends. 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 Francis'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 9 years on the bench, the approval patterns for Judge Francis have remained relatively consistent. While there was a peak of 21% in 2017, the rate has largely fluctuated between 8% and 17% in the years since. The most recent reporting period shows an approval rate of 14%, which aligns closely with her long-term career average. This stability suggests a predictable approach to case evaluation, though recent outcomes may be influenced by changes in the types of evidence presented in your specific case.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Francis'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 Francis? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Knoxville hearing office
The Knoxville Hearing Office serves a broad population across Tennessee and surrounding regions, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 56%. You can expect a formal process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Knoxville 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. Across the Knoxville Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 13% to 67%. While these variances exist, the fundamental requirements for proving disability remain consistent regardless of who presides over your hearing.
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.