Approval rates
Judge Grimes has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 47% over his 10-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate was 39%, which is 2 points below the Florence office average and 11 points below the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from 18,851 lifetime decisions. 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 Grimes'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 decade on the bench, Judge Grimes has seen his approval rates fluctuate. After an initial period of higher approval percentages in 2016 and 2017, the rate trended toward 32% in 2020 before reaching 58% in 2022. The most recent data shows a rate of 39%, reflecting a shift from the mid-tenure peak. This pattern shows that his approach has evolved over time.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Grimes'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 Grimes? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Florence hearing office
The Florence Hearing Office serves you throughout South Carolina and the surrounding region. It is staffed by 6 judges who manage a high volume of cases. The office currently maintains an average approval rate of 49%. You can visit the Florence Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Florence office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 33% to 76%. While these differences exist, the core requirements for proving disability remain consistent across all courtrooms.
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.