Approval rates
Judge Lefebvre maintains a lifetime approval rate of 63%, which compares to the 56% latest approval rate at the Knoxville Hearing Office and the 58% national average. These figures are derived from a docket of 25,587 lifetime decisions over 9 years on the bench. Comparing these metrics provides a baseline for understanding the judicial environment in Knoxville, though aggregate rates 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 Lefebvre'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 her 9-year tenure, Judge Lefebvre has shown a consistent decision pattern, with annual approval rates ranging from 56% to 73%. Her long-term performance remains steady relative to the office average. This consistency suggests a stable approach to evaluating evidence and medical testimony, reflecting a continuation of her broader career history.
Preparing for an SSDI hearing
The guidance below applies to any SSDI hearing, not specifically to Judge Lefebvre'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 Lefebvre? Free, confidential — see if you qualify for SSDI.
Free Benefits ReviewAbout the Knoxville hearing office
The Knoxville Hearing Office serves you and other claimants throughout Tennessee and surrounding regions, managing a high volume of disability cases. With a bench of 6 judges, the office maintains an environment where evidence quality is the primary driver of hearing outcomes. You can expect a professional process focused on the specific medical and vocational facts of your claim. See the Knoxville 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 Knoxville Hearing Office, lifetime approval rates among the 6 judges range from 13% to 67%. This variance highlights why the specific judge assigned to your case matters for your hearing strategy. You can find more information on the office's general operations on the Knoxville 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.