Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to regional and national benchmarks provides helpful context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Frye's lifetime approval rate of 73% is higher than the 58% national average and the 66% state average. This data is derived from 15,281 lifetime decisions, offering a look at past 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 Frye'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 7 years on the bench, Judge Frye has seen shifts in approval patterns. The data shows a steady climb in approval rates from 2016 through 2020, peaking at 84%, followed by a decline in the 2021 and 2022 reporting periods. This fluctuation is common in administrative law and may reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the evidence presented. The recent trend indicates a move toward the office-wide average after a period of higher-than-average approvals.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Frye'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 Frye? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Charlotte hearing office
The Charlotte Hearing Office serves a large population across North Carolina, managing a high volume of disability claims with a team of 6 ALJs. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 72%, which is higher than the national norm. You can expect a professional environment focused on the thorough review of medical records and vocational testimony. You can visit the Charlotte Hearing Office page for more information.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your judge is typically assigned at random. Across the Charlotte office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 28% to 78%. Because you cannot choose your judge, focus on the strength of your medical evidence. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are 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.