Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance requires looking at both their long-term history and recent trends. With 14,086 decisions rendered during an 8-year tenure, the data provides a stable look at how this judge approaches disability claims. While the lifetime rate is 60%, recent reporting shows a variance compared to the 66% office-wide average. These figures reflect historical trends rather than predictions for your specific 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 Harris'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 the course of 8 years on the bench, your judge's approval rate has experienced notable shifts. After maintaining a steady range between 64% and 68% from 2016 through 2019, the rate saw a decline in the following years, reaching 49% in 2022 before rebounding to 59% in 2023. These fluctuations often reflect changes in the complexity of cases or the quality of medical evidence presented. This pattern suggests that the judge's approach remains responsive to the specific evidentiary record of each hearing.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Harris'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 Harris? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Greensboro hearing office
The Greensboro Hearing Office serves a significant population across North Carolina, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an average approval rate of 66%. You can expect a formal process where the focus remains on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can see the Greensboro Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases through a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. Within the Greensboro Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 49% to 73%. Because of this variance, understanding the general environment of the office is as important as knowing your specific judge. You can find more information on the Greensboro 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.