Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Graham maintains a lifetime approval rate of 90%, which stands 24 percentage points higher than the current Greensboro Hearing Office average and 32 points above the national average. These figures are derived from a substantial docket of 8,061 lifetime decisions accumulated over 4 years on the bench. 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 Graham'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, Judge Graham has maintained a steady approval trend. Starting at 88% in 2016, the rate moved to 90% in 2017 and 2018, reaching 91% in 2019. This consistency suggests a stable approach to evaluating your disability claim throughout the judge's time on the bench. The latest data reflects a continuation of this high-approval pattern, which remains well above the current office-wide average.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Graham'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 Graham? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Greensboro hearing office
The Greensboro Hearing Office serves a significant population of claimants across North Carolina. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases to meet regional demand. The office currently reports an approval rate of 66%, which provides a baseline for your local proceedings. You can visit the Greensboro Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Within the Greensboro Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary widely, ranging from 49% to 90%. Because you cannot request a specific judge, understanding the office environment is helpful. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent 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.