Approval rates
Judge King has maintained a lifetime approval rate of 36% based on 9,166 decisions. Compared to the latest reporting period, the judge's approval rate is 19 points below the Fort Worth Hearing Office average and 22 points below the national average of 58%. These figures provide a statistical baseline for the judge's history. 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 King'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, the approval rate for Judge King has shown an upward trend. Starting at 33% in 2016, the rate rose to 42% by 2019. This trajectory indicates that the judge's decision-making pattern has evolved, with recent data reflecting a higher allowance frequency than the lifetime average. This shift may reflect changes in case mix or the quality of evidence presented in recent years.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge King'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 King? A free benefit check tells you if you qualify.
Check My BenefitsAbout the Fort Worth hearing office
The Fort Worth Hearing Office serves a significant population in Texas, managing a high volume of disability claims. With a bench of 6 judges, the office operates under standard SSA guidelines for administrative hearings. You can expect a formal environment where the focus remains on your medical documentation and vocational testimony. You can visit the Fort Worth 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 Fort Worth Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 30% to 51%. Because this variance exists, you should focus on the strength of your medical evidence regardless of which judge is assigned to your hearing.
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.