Approval rates
Comparing a judge's performance to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Sanya Hill-Maxion's lifetime approval rate of 83% is measured against the Stockton Hearing Office latest rate of 44% and the national average of 58%. These figures are derived from a docket of 12,190 lifetime decisions, offering a view of her judicial 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 Hill-Maxion'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 her 8 years on the bench, Sanya Hill-Maxion has maintained a distinct decision profile. Her yearly trend shows high approval rates in the early years of her tenure, followed by an adjustment in more recent periods. While her lifetime average remains high, the most recent reporting period indicates a shift toward the office-wide mean. This pattern suggests that your case-specific evidence and the quality of your medical documentation remain the most critical factors in your hearing outcome.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hill-Maxion'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 Hill-Maxion? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Stockton hearing office
The Stockton Hearing Office serves you throughout the California region, managing a volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office handles a diverse caseload that reflects the broader economic and health trends of the area. You should be prepared for a thorough review of your medical evidence by any of the presiding ALJs. You can see the Stockton 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 your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Stockton Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 30% to 83%. Because every judge manages their courtroom differently, understanding that your judge is one of several possibilities is important. You can find more information on the Stockton 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.