Approval rates
Judge Green maintains a lifetime approval rate of 58% based on 10,675 lifetime decisions. In the most recent reporting period, this rate sits 3 points above the Fort Worth office average and 1 point above the state average, while remaining even with the national average of 58%. This data provides a statistical baseline for understanding the judge's history. 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 Green'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 shown a positive trend. After starting at 56% in 2016, the rate saw a slight dip in 2017 before rising to 64% by 2019. This pattern indicates that the approach to evidence and case evaluation has evolved over time. The recent uptick reflects a shift in the volume of decisions, suggesting that the latest period is a continuation of a steady, evidence-focused pattern.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Green'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 Green? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Fort Worth hearing office
The Fort Worth Hearing Office serves a significant population of claimants across Texas. With a bench of 6 judges, the office manages a high volume of cases to ensure timely access to disability hearings. The office-wide latest approval rate is 55%, reflecting the local environment for SSDI claims. You can see the Fort Worth 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 Green is essentially random. Within the Fort Worth office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 30% to 58%. Because of this variance, understanding the local landscape is useful for your preparation. The guidance for your hearing 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.