Approval rates
Judge Jordan maintains a lifetime approval rate of 54%, a figure derived from a docket of 23,888 lifetime decisions over his 10-year tenure. In the most recent reporting period, his approval rate was 52%, which is 3 percentage points higher than the Norfolk office average and 2 points higher than the state average. These statistics provide a baseline for understanding his judicial history, though they describe past decisions rather than 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 Jordan'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 10 years on the bench, Judge Jordan's approval rate has shown fluctuations, ranging from a high of 64% in 2017 to a low of 45% in 2021. The data indicates a period of volatility followed by a return to more moderate levels, with the most recent year showing an approval rate of 56%. This pattern suggests that while his decision-making has evolved, it has remained within a stable range relative to his peers.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Jordan'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 Jordan? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Norfolk hearing office
The Norfolk Hearing Office serves a broad population across Virginia and is part of a regional network tasked with managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an office-wide latest approval rate of 51%. If you are appearing here, you should be prepared for a thorough review of medical evidence and vocational testimony. You can see the Norfolk Hearing Office page for the full ALJ roster.
Other judges at this hearing office
The Social Security Administration utilizes a workload-balancing algorithm to assign cases, meaning your assignment to a specific judge is essentially random. Within the Norfolk Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the bench range from 49% to 55%. Because every judge operates with different preferences for evidence presentation, the variation across the office is a standard part of the hearing process. You can find more information on the office's general operations on the Norfolk 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.