Approval rates
Judge Grayson has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 43% over a decade of service. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate was 44%, which is 5 percentage points below the Hattiesburg office average and 15 points below the national average. These figures are derived from a docket of 19,550 lifetime decisions. These aggregate rates reflect historical trends rather than specific outcomes for your upcoming 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 Grayson'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 his 10 years on the bench, Judge Grayson has seen his approval rates fluctuate, starting at 66% in 2016 and reaching a low of 34% in 2021. Since that period, the trend has shown a gradual recovery, with the most recent data reflecting a 46% approval rate in 2025. This pattern suggests a shift in case outcomes following the mid-tenure dip, with the latest period reflecting a continuation of this recent upward trend in favorable decisions.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Grayson'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 Grayson? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Hattiesburg hearing office
The Hattiesburg Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Mississippi and the surrounding region. It is staffed by a team of six administrative law judges who manage a high volume of disability claims. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 48%, reflecting the regional trends in benefit adjudication. You can see the Hattiesburg 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 Judge Grayson is essentially random. Within the Hattiesburg office, lifetime approval rates among the six judges range from 25% to 63%. This variance highlights why the specific judge assigned to your hearing is a meaningful factor in the process. You can view the full roster of judges at the Hattiesburg Hearing Office page.
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.