Approval rates
Judge Harty has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 36% over his tenure. Compared to the latest reporting period, his rate is 16 points below the Wichita Hearing Office average and 22 points below the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 1,955 lifetime decisions, providing a stable view of his decision-making 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 Harty'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 1 year on the bench, Judge Harty has presided over 1,955 lifetime decisions. His approval rate has remained steady at 36% throughout his recorded tenure. This consistency suggests a stable approach to evaluating your disability claim, regardless of external fluctuations in case volume. The data reflects a pattern that has held firm since he began his service at the Wichita office.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Harty'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 Harty? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Wichita hearing office
The Wichita Hearing Office serves you and other claimants throughout Kansas, managing a high volume of disability appeals. With a bench of 6 judges and a recent office-wide approval rate of 52%, it functions as a central hub for regional SSDI hearings. You can expect a formal process where your medical documentation is the primary driver of the outcome. See the Wichita Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration assigns cases to judges using a workload-balancing algorithm, meaning your assignment is essentially random. Across the 6 judges at the Wichita office, lifetime approval rates range from 36% to 66%. Because you cannot choose your judge, your focus should remain on building a robust medical record. The guidance for your preparation remains 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.