Approval rates
Comparing a judge's history to broader benchmarks provides context for your upcoming hearing. Judge Inman maintains a 52% lifetime approval rate, which is 6 points below the national average of 58% and 10 points below the Denver office average. These figures are derived from 8,285 lifetime decisions. 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 Inman'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 4-year tenure, your judge's approval patterns have shown moderate fluctuation. Starting with a 51% approval rate in 2016, the trend moved to 48% in 2017 before rising to 55% in 2018 and 54% in 2019. This variance suggests a steady approach to case evaluation. The data reflects a balanced pattern where your evidence quality remains the primary driver of the final decision.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Inman'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 Inman? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Denver hearing office
The Denver Hearing Office serves you and other claimants across Colorado, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains a latest approval rate of 62%. You can expect a formal process focused on the specific medical evidence supporting your claim. You can visit the Denver Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your specific judge is determined by administrative factors rather than a selection process. Within the Denver Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 45% to 62%. This diversity in decision-making highlights why focusing on your own medical documentation is essential.
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.