Approval rates
Judge Gordon maintains a lifetime approval rate of 51% based on 9,943 decisions. During the latest reporting period, this judge's approval rate was 22 percentage points below the Oklahoma City Hearing Office average and 7 percentage points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical snapshot of past activity rather than a prediction for your 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 Gordon'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 a 4-year tenure, your judge's approval rate has fluctuated. Starting at 61% in 2016, the rate moved to 45% in 2017 and 44% in 2018, before rising to 53% in 2019. This trend indicates that decision-making has not remained static, reflecting shifts in case complexity or evidence standards over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Gordon'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 Gordon? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Oklahoma City hearing office
The Oklahoma City Hearing Office serves a broad population, managing a high volume of SSDI disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an active docket that requires consistent case management. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can visit the Oklahoma City Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning you cannot choose your judge. Within the Oklahoma City Hearing Office, the 6 ALJs range from 43% to 79% in their lifetime approval rates. This variance highlights why understanding the specific environment of your hearing office is important for your case strategy.
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.