Approval rates
Judge Grant maintains a lifetime approval rate of 66%, which compares favorably against the latest national average of 58% and the Alexandria office average of 59%. These figures are derived from a docket of 26,559 lifetime decisions, providing a statistical foundation for understanding the judge's history. While these numbers offer insight into past performance, they do not guarantee a specific outcome for your case. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Grant'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 10-year tenure, Judge Grant has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability claims. The yearly trend shows a gradual increase in approval rates, peaking in recent years before settling at 67% in 2025. This trajectory suggests a judge who has refined their evaluation process over thousands of cases. The recent data indicates that the judge's methodology remains predictable for those familiar with the evidentiary standards of the Alexandria office.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Grant'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 Grant? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Alexandria hearing office
The Alexandria Hearing Office serves a large portion of Virginia, managing a high volume of disability claims through its bench of 6 judges. With an office-wide latest approval rate of 59%, the environment is characterized by a focus on medical documentation and vocational evidence. You can expect a standard hearing process where the quality of your evidence is the primary driver of the final decision. You can see the Alexandria Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Alexandria office, lifetime approval rates among the bench vary significantly, ranging from 32% to 66%. This variance highlights why understanding the specific tendencies of your assigned judge is a vital part of your hearing strategy. You can review the full Alexandria Hearing Office page for more information on the local bench.
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.