Approval rates
When evaluating your chances, it is useful to compare a judge's lifetime performance against broader benchmarks. Judge Grooms has maintained a 65% approval rate over a decade of service, a figure that remains consistent with the latest Sacramento office average of 65% and sits 7 percentage points above the national average. These statistics are derived from a significant docket of 5,497 lifetime decisions. 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 Grooms'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 10 years on the bench, the decision pattern for Judge Grooms has shown shifts. While the approval rate remained steady for several years, recent data indicates a downward trend in the most recent reporting periods compared to the lifetime average. This variation may reflect changes in the types of cases heard or the quality of evidence presented in recent filings. Understanding this trajectory is helpful, as the latest period reflects a departure from the long-term stability observed earlier in this judge's career.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Grooms'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 Grooms? A free benefit check tells you if you qualify.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Sacramento hearing office
The Sacramento Hearing Office serves a large population across Northern California, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an approval rate that reflects the complex nature of the cases heard in this region. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical documentation and vocational history. You can see the Sacramento Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The SSA utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Sacramento Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 ALJs range from 57% to 75%. This variance highlights why focusing on the strength of your medical evidence is more important than the specific judge assigned to your file. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same 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.