Approval rates
Comparing approval rates requires looking at the same timeframes. While Anthony J. Johnson has an approval rate of 59% on record since 2026, his latest-period approval rate is 59%, which sits 14 percentage points above the Richmond office's latest-period rate of 45%. These figures are based on 276 decisions on record. 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 Johnson'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
Since 2026, Anthony J. Johnson has maintained an approval rate of 59% across 276 decisions on record. The 2026 fiscal year-to-date data shows a consistent pattern of outcomes. This latest period reflects his established decision-making approach, showing a rate that is currently higher than the broader office average for the same timeframe.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Johnson'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.
About the Richmond hearing office
The Richmond hearing office is the most recent office on record for 13 judges as of July 2026. The office maintains a latest-period approval rate of 45%, which provides context for the local hearing environment.
Other judges whose most recent office on record is Richmond
The Social Security Administration uses a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning the judge you are assigned is essentially random. There are 13 judges whose most recent office on record is the Richmond office. Approval rates for this bench range from 18% to 59% on their records since 2016. For preparation purposes, the guidance is the same regardless of which judge you are assigned.
Approval rates change with a lawyer
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-18-37. The 3× gap is a population-wide average across all judges; individual outcomes vary.
Frequently asked questions
Anthony J. Johnson's latest-period approval rate of 59% is 14 percentage points higher than the Richmond office's latest-period average of 45%. Because case assignment is random, an attorney can help you prepare for the specific requirements of this hearing office.
Anthony J. Johnson has maintained a 59% approval rate on record since 2026. This consistency suggests a stable decision-making pattern over the period covered by our data. An attorney can help you understand how these trends might apply to your case.
No, you cannot request a specific judge. The Social Security Administration assigns cases using a workload-balancing algorithm to ensure efficiency. An attorney can help you prepare your case regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing.
An approval rate is a probability based on past decisions, not a guarantee of how Anthony J. Johnson will rule on your specific claim. Your medical evidence and testimony remain the most important factors in your hearing. A qualified attorney can help you organize your evidence to meet the specific standards of your judge.
