Approval rates
The approval rate for Doug Gabbard II is based on 20,661 lifetime decisions. Compared to the latest reporting period, his approval rate is 15 percentage points below the Mcalester office average and 22 points below the national average. These figures reflect historical decision-making patterns rather than predictions for 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 Gabbard II'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 9 years on the bench, Doug Gabbard II has maintained a consistent decision-making profile. While his approval rate has fluctuated between 31% and 41% in recent years, the overall trend remains steady. The 2024 data shows an approval rate of 31%, which aligns with his historical lifetime average. This consistency suggests a stable approach to evaluating your disability claim.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Gabbard II'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 Gabbard? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Mcalester hearing office
The Mcalester Hearing Office manages a high volume of disability cases with a team of 4 ALJs. The office currently maintains an office-wide approval rate of 51%. You can expect a formal hearing process focused on your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can find more information on the Mcalester Hearing Office page.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Mcalester Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 36% to 50%. This variance highlights that the specific judge assigned to your case is one of many variables in the hearing process.
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.