Approval rates
Judge Hogan maintains a lifetime approval rate of 72%, which is higher than the 58% national average. At the Kingsport Hearing Office, the judge's recent performance shows an approval rate of 75%, placing them 16 percentage points above the local office average. These statistics are derived from a docket of 18,078 lifetime decisions. These aggregate rates describe past decisions rather than predicting your individual hearing outcome.
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 Hogan'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 9-year tenure, Judge Hogan has demonstrated a consistent approach to disability claims. The latest reporting period reflects a 75% approval rate, which aligns with the judge's long-term history of evaluating evidence. This trend reflects a stable judicial philosophy regarding case review.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Hogan'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 Hogan? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Kingsport hearing office
The Kingsport Hearing Office serves a broad population across Tennessee, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 56%. You can expect a formal process focused on medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Kingsport 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 Kingsport Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 45% to 77%. Because each judge brings a unique perspective to the courtroom, understanding the office-wide environment is helpful for your preparation.
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.