Approval rates
Judge Jenkins has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 48% over his 7 years on the bench. Compared to the latest reporting period, his approval rate is 12 percentage points lower than the Las Vegas Hearing Office average and 10 percentage points lower than the national average. These figures are based on a docket of 16,274 lifetime decisions. Aggregate rates describe past decisions, not predictions for individual hearings.
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 Jenkins'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 7-year tenure, Judge Jenkins has seen his approval rate fluctuate. After starting at 58% in 2016, the rate declined in subsequent years, settling at 40% in the most recent reporting period. This trend indicates a shift in outcomes compared to his earlier years on the bench. The recent data reflects a continuation of this pattern, which may be influenced by changes in the complexity of cases or the evidence presented.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Jenkins'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 Jenkins? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Las Vegas hearing office
The Las Vegas Hearing Office serves a large population across Nevada, managing a high volume of disability claims. With 6 judges currently on the bench, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 60%. You can expect a professional environment focused on the thorough review of medical and vocational evidence. You can see the Las Vegas 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. Within the Las Vegas Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges on the bench range from 35% to 68%. This variance highlights why your specific judge matters to your case strategy. For preparation purposes, the guidance remains consistent 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.