Approval rates
Judge Fritz has presided over 16,168 lifetime decisions during his 10-year tenure. In the latest reporting period, his approval rate of 56% sits 13 percentage points below the Greenville office average of 65% and 6 points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for understanding his courtroom history, though they do not predict the outcome of your specific 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 Fritz'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 decade on the bench, Judge Fritz has seen his approval rates fluctuate. After starting at 45% in 2016, his annual approval rates trended upward, peaking at 62% in 2023 before reaching 57% in 2025. This movement suggests that his decision-making is responsive to shifting case volumes and evidence standards. The latest period reflects a continuation of this steady pattern within his established career range.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Fritz'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 Fritz? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Greenville hearing office
The Greenville Hearing Office serves you across South Carolina and parts of the surrounding region. With a bench of 6 judges, this office manages a high volume of disability claims, maintaining an office-wide latest approval rate of 65%. You should expect a professional environment focused on the specific medical evidence supporting your claim. You can view the full ALJ roster on the Greenville Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Across the Greenville office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 44% to 65%. Because you cannot choose your judge, focusing on the quality of your medical documentation is the most reliable way to prepare for your hearing. You can find more information on the Greenville Hearing Office page.
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.