Approval rates
Comparing a judge's approval rate to broader benchmarks provides context for your hearing process. Judge Hamilton's lifetime rate of 68% is measured against the West Des Moines office latest rate of 55% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a significant docket of 22,914 lifetime decisions, offering a stable view of historical trends. 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 Hamilton'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 Hamilton has presided over 22,914 lifetime decisions. The yearly trend shows a steady rise in approval rates, moving from 60% in 2016 to 78% in 2025. This recent uptick in the latest reporting period indicates a departure from earlier trends. Such patterns often reflect shifts in case complexity or the quality of evidence you present, though the overall trajectory remains clearly defined by this long-term data.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hamilton'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 Hamilton? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the West Des Moines hearing office
The West Des Moines hearing office serves you and other claimants across the region, managing a high volume of disability cases with a dedicated team of administrative law judges. The office currently reports a latest approval rate of 55%, which serves as a baseline for your local hearing environment. You can expect a formal, evidence-based process designed to evaluate the merits of your individual claim. You can see the West Des Moines 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. At the West Des Moines hearing office, the bench consists of 6 judges with lifetime approval rates ranging from 38% to 70%. Because case assignment is outside of your control, understanding the office-wide environment is as important as reviewing an individual judge. You can find more information on the West Des Moines 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.